


The Devilstone Registry

by beyondinsane



Series: Devilstone [1]
Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction Western, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-31
Updated: 2009-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-06 15:00:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 89,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondinsane/pseuds/beyondinsane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after the Civil war, a meteor crashed into Devil's<br/>Tower and the earth began to change. Strange creatures roamed lands once<br/>safe except for the occasional rattlesnake. A new ore, Devilstone, was<br/>discovered, with truly unbelievable properties. Some folks thought it<br/>was the end of the world. Some folks thought it was a new beginning.<br/>Some folks turned tail and fled. A few years have passed since the Great<br/>Trembling, and a small town has sprung up outside of Deadwood to house<br/>the miners and adventure seekers that have come for the Devilstone and<br/>the monster-infested Badlands. One of these men is Dr. Adam Lambert, PHD<br/>in the new field of Abstract Science. To watch over his valuable<br/>inventions and keep him safe on expeditions, he has hired the famous<br/>gunslinger, Kris Allen, better known as Arkansas to his face, or Krissy<br/>the Kid behind his back. The two men form a fast friendship as they<br/>round up evil-dooers, battle real-live nightmares, and make a few<br/>important discoveries about Devilstone, the human heart, and eachother.</p><p>Awww, shucks, that made me cry.</p><p>TL;DR: OLD WEST BUT WITH STEAMPUNKY MAD SCIENTISTS AND HORROR SHOW<br/>CREATURES.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Head Of The Trail

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by Bamberrific. It's important to note that the nickname "Krissy The Kid" is used behind Kris's back mockingly - I don't use it very often so if that nickname squicks you (as it does me) give this story a shot anyway. Art by Katekat1010
> 
> Also? There's a lot of humor (or attempts at it) - it's meant to be fun but it does get a little more srs towards the middle.

 

 

**Prologue:**

  
    The bartender gasped as he saw a pair of legs beneath the saloon doors. Only the very tip of a hat indicated that there was indeed a man aboutto enter, and not just disembodied legs that had crawled out of a fresh grave and lumbered off to the saloon out of habit.

Stranger things have been known to happen.

    As frightening as the prospect would be, the barman felt his blood run cold as the saloon doors parted. It really could be only one man. The Weekly said he was heading this way - the barman looked down at his copy of Weird West Weekly, remembering all the amazing tales of the Kid fromArkansas.

"Krissy the Kid" someone murmured, and the bar fell silent as The Kid himself strode inside The Golden Calf. Even the piano man, Matty the Mute, stopped tinkling the ivories. The saloon girls stopped their cavorting, the dish boy dropped a glass and didn't even bother to try and catch it.

The glass shattered just as Kris approached the rail. He leaned against the brass, looking unnatural, with his elbow closer to his ear than could be comfortable.

    If The Kid looked comical, not a man in the Saloon laughed. Krissy the Kid, or "Arkansas", as he preferred to be called, was the fastest gun in the west. Rumor had it he had been a Marshall once, but when the town ran out of criminals to catch he had set off on his own; a gun-for-hire.  His reputation was taller then he was but his shadow stretched as far as the end of the Dakota Territories. The Kid pulled down his plaid bandanna, revealing a boyish face. The bartender shivered. How could a man accused of gunning down so many look so innocent? It was the work of black magic, or worse. Perhaps he had some Cherokee blood, or consorted with the evil things that dwelled in the deepest caves of the Badlands. The barman didn't ask any questions. He just set down a glass full of his best whiskey and stammered,

"No charge."

    The Kid smiled, and the Bartender swore his heart stopped a moment. What monster of a man could smile so sweetly when the blood in his veins was so black?

"What brings you to town, Mr. Arkansas?" The bartender asked, summoning all his courage. Most of the articles in the Weekly said Krissy the Kid was usually found further south, in the bowels of Texas.

"A horse." Kris said, still grinning his far-too-adorable smile. It was uncanny, inhuman in it's cuteness. "Of course." He added, chuckling at his own rhyme. It was more of a giggle, really, but no one would think, even to themselves, that Krissy the Kid would giggle. It was tantamount to suicide.

    The bar erupted into laughter, no one wanting to risk offending him. Matty the Mute even pounded a few happy chords out on the piano and opened his mouth as if he were laughing, though no such sound escaped his mouth.

"Seriously, though" Kris continued, and the bar fell back into silence, "I got a letter offerin' me some regular employment. Thought I'd ride north and stay a spell. A man gets tired of ramblin'."

"Of course, of course." The barman nodded his head, and the rest of the rabble murmured their agreement. "I can have my best room ready in an hour. Just let me evict the current tenant."

The Kid seemed to brighten, giving the assembled men a little smirk. The bartender hesitated a moment. The Kid seemed less hostile than the Weekly had made him sound. However, better safe than sorry.

"That's right kind of you." Arkansas said, tugging on his hat." I wouldn't want to put you through any hassle. Just give me whatever's available. I don't need much room."

Someone snorted, muffling a laugh. Kris turned towards the sound. The man's table companion looked hurriedly from his friend to Kris, and hesitated only a moment before he punched the laughing man in the face. The bar launched into a full on brawl, the men stepping over each other in an effort to sucker-punch the guy who might have offended The  
Kid.

    Kris simply turned back to the barman.

"They always this rowdy?" Kris asked, thumbing over his shoulder.

"Oh, no, sir. But the guy who started the fight, that's Fightin' Mac Sarver. He doesn't like it if he thinks a fella's getting picked on.  Always standin' up for people...that's why we made him the law. We take care of our own." The barman stammered as the brawl raged on behind him.  The Kid raised an eyebrow, as if to say "clearly." "And if you're here, you're one of our own." The keeper added, filling Kris's glass to the brim.

"Who was getting picked on?" Kris asked, and the barman swallowed hard.  The Kid was obviously feigning ignorance, trying to draw him into atrap.

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." He stammered, hoping The Kid wouldn't find any insult in his words. His temper was legendary. The Weekly was full of stories where The Kid had shot a man for less.

Kris nodded knowingly. For some reason, misunderstandings happened a lot around him.

  
**The Tale**

    The room was small, which suited him fine. He tossed his sack beneath the rough-hewn bed and fingered the patchwork quilt that lay careful on the straw mattress. The Golden Calf obviously had high standards in their house girls, for Kris couldn't find a fault with the cleanliness of his lodgings. The hour he had waited for it to be prepared was worth it.

    He hung his gun belt on the bedpost and stretched out on the bed, relaxing after the long ride. Kris pulled out the letter and read it again, drinking in the promise of a long-term job. The people downstairs had seemed friendly enough when not decking each other, and it had been a long time since Kris had been able to call anywhere home. Calamity seemed to follow him from place to place. Maybe this town would be different.

    The letter was addressed to "Kristopher Allen" which in itself was strange. No one had ever bothered to learn enough about him to know his birth name. Most folks just called him by his home state, Arkansas. Only a very, very few called him Kris, or his momma's nickname for him, "Krissy." Kris supposed it was because he didn't warrant the attention. Hell, some folks even referred to him as "Kid." Clearly, he wasn't important enough to bother with a name.

    Apparently, Dr. Lambert was different. The handwriting was careful; brown ink scratched on monogrammed stationary.

_Dear Mr. Kristopher Allen,_

I am not sure if you will have heard of me, so I will start with an  
introduction. My name is Adam Lambert, recently given my doctoral degree  
in Abstract Science by the University of New York. Of course, I received  
my medical degree prior to that. Having recently come into a large sum  
of money, I have decided follow in the footsteps of so many  
adventuresome pioneers and Go West, Young Man.

Having a scientific mind and a curious nature, I have searched high and  
low for a place in which I might conduct my experiments with a  
reasonable measure of privacy. My work also necessitates a large  
quantity of the substance known as Devilstone which as you know was  
discovered recently in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territories. It is  
my firm belief that utilizing the most modern scientific methods, I can  
create devices for the betterment of mankind. I have settled on a small  
town northwest of Deadwood. Perhaps you have heard of it? They tell me  
it's called Westport, but devil take me if I can find any water. Who  
ever heard of a port without water?

The purpose of my letter is two-fold. I require a guard and aide. I am  
not a man of fighting prowess, and I fear that my valuable equipment  
would be a powerful lure for such ruffians as one can be expected to  
encounter in the west. No offense, Sir, I assure you I have heard  
nothing but amazing tales of your valor. I also need a brave soul, such  
as the tales of your exploits assure me you are, to venture into the  
Badlands to procure raw materials and specimens as will be rendered  
necessary by my methods. As I needn't tell you, such ventures are as  
risky as they are profitable, and I need someone with the fighting  
spirit to match my inquisitive and not inconsiderable brainpower.

I can promise you will be well paid and well provided for should you  
accept my proposition. Shall we meet in person to discuss? Alas, I  
should have to ask you to make the journey, as someone with my  
disposition isn't likely to make far journeys without the comfort of a  
train. And you are not an easy man to find. I doubt even the Trackless  
Train could keep up with you.

In fact, I wonder how this letter will find you. No matter.

Yours in haste,

Dr. Adam Lambert

  
    The letter had arrived just inside doorstep of the bunkhouse which had been his residence for the last month. He considered it for a few hours before giving his notice to the rancher whose herd he had been guarding. Since the meteor had collided with Devil's Tower thirteen years ago, the Dakota Territories had become a hub of supernatural activity. Tales of strange creatures inhabiting the Badlands, of the dead rising from their graves, of mysterious disappearances and more trickled down from Deadwood with surprising frequency. Kris had been content with his life of tracking down bank robbers and solving territory disputes with the neighboring Indian tribes. Whatever good he could do. But the good he had done had left more than a little blood on his hands. Maybe life up north would be less complicated. Kris was pretty sure he'd feel less guilty about putting a bullet into a slobbering werewolf than a human criminal, no matter how terrible his crime. Besides, how much trouble could a scientist really get in to? Dr. Lambert was likely an over-anxious eccentric.

    Kris was eager to make a new start in Westport; make friends with his neighbors, maybe even take a bath. It had been a long, dusty, lonely ride. However, his new start could wait until he took a nap. In his apparent generosity, the barkeep had filled him with an over abundance of whiskey, and Kris felt more than a little drunk. It was a nice welcome.

***

  
    The bar was even busier at night, and Kris leaned back against the wall, content to be ignored. This afternoon, he had the odd feeling that everyone was staring at him, but given the fight that had broken out, he must have just walked in on a bad situation. From his vantage point, he surveyed the room. The simple wooden walls contrasted sharply with the brass chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. A blonde woman circled the crowd, keeping an eye on several saloon girls as they worked the room and flirting with a bespectacled man at a table by himself. The piano player hammered out a skillful tune, but didn't sing along to any of the standards. Kris fought hard to keep from mumbling the words under hisbreath.

    He noticed "Fightin' Mac Sarver" in the crowd and nodded to him. Kris liked a guy that stood up for people, even if he had no idea who Mac was supposed to be standing up for. Mac tugged on his hat brim respectfully, and it was only then that Kris saw that "Fightin' Mac" wore a gold star. Kris was about to introduce himself when something unusual caught his eye. A woman was in the bar, and not a whore either, a woman.

    She was breathtaking, even at a distance. Even through a sea of unwashed cowboys and ne'er do-wells. Kris's breath caught in his throat. Those eyes. They were the exact blue of her dress, a tightly corseted silk with black trim. Her hair was the color of a sunset, her skin the purest alabaster but for the smattering of freckles that showed through herpowder.

    The most astounding thing about her is that when she caught Kris's gaze after sweeping the room for a moment, her eyes (those EYES) lit up in  
recognition. The other men had been watching her, but as soon as they saw the direction of her glance they had gone back to their own business.

She floated, more than walked, to him, and Kris took a big pull from his whiskey. In no time at all she was in front of him, and if her beauty was stunning from a distance, it was nothing compared to the vision she was when she was up close. Her full lips parted in a smile.

Kris pulled off his hat in a hurry. The woman was taller than him, much taller. In fact, she was the tallest woman Kris had ever met.

"Mr. Arkansas?" She asked demurely, offering her hand.

"Madam." He said, holding out his hand to take hers. As he bent to press his lips to her glove, she purred.

"I'm Adam."

Kris dropped her hand and took a big step backwards, forgetting he was already so close to the wall. His head snapped back with a thud, and the  
woman laughed, the mischievousness twinkling in her eyes like starlight. Kris starred at her, stunned. He had never heard of a woman named Adam. She continued, unabashed.

"Dr. Adam Lambert. I sent you a letter?"

"There must be some mistake." He said, stammering. The woman laughed again, a musical sound.

"No mistake. Just an extremely successful experiment. I heard you were in town and didn't want to wait till the effects wore off to meet you."

"The effects?" Kris bit his lip and took another pull from his glass.

"Of the experiment." Adam said, looking impatient. "You aren't a dullard, I hope. None of the articles said you were a dullard."

"Articles?" Kris was getting more and more confused and annoyed with himself with repeating words like a parrot from a pirate story. When he saw Adam's face fall, dismissing him as hopelessly dim, he shook his head. "No. No, I'm not simple, I just wasn't expectin' a man named Adam to look so much like a lovely woman."  Kris was astonished. He had never heard of any sort of scientific experiments causing a temporary change in gender. However, he admitted to himself that he didn't spend much time keeping up with the latest scientific trends. For all he knew this was run of the mill in the Dakotas.

"Ah." Adam nodded, as if this made perfect sense. "Well, the appearance will fade in about an hour. In fact, if you peer close enough I would bet that you could see the beginnings of stubble. Don't, though!" Adam said, and Kris realized he had, in fact, been leaning in. Due to their difference in height, he was leaning right towards Adam's more-than-ample bosom. He was so close his chin was nearly touching the pillowy flesh. It certainly looked authentic at close range. "People will question my honor as a lady."

"But you aren't a lady." Kris said, before tilting his head. He didn't want to ask, but the word flew out of his mouth. "Right?"

Adam laughed lightly, and Kris felt his pulse race. Lady or no, Adam was as lovely as Kris could have imagined, and he certainly played the part well.

"Not for much longer. So, shall we? I have a carriage outside. You can tie your horse to the back and ride with me. We can talk. I assume you have more than a few questions."

"Let me just get my things and pay for the room. I rented a room." He added, feeling a bit foolish. Then again, how was he to know the doctor was going to meet up with him so soon.

Adam nodded and leaned towards Kris's ear.

"For appearances." He (as Kris really must begin thinking of him) whispered, and kissed Kris lightly on the cheek. Kris felt himself flush. "Meet me outside."

Adam's lips brushed against his ear, and Kris shook his head, wanting to clear his thoughts. That's a man. He reminded himself. No matter what he looks like right now.

As Kris descended the stair with his pack, he felt every eye on him. Several of the men nodded approvingly, and Mac even patted him on the shoulder.

"See y'all around." He said to the room at large, feeling a bit sheepish.

"Happy Trails, Arkansas!" Mac hooted, and the men lifted their glasses.

"All the stories are true! I wonder if this will be in the Weekly?" Kris heard someone mutter in amazement, and wondered what the man could possibly have meant. He dismissed it as none of his business and stepped out into the chill night air.

 

***

  
"Well, that was a rousing success." Adam said, shimmying out of the dress as the carriage rattled along the trail. "Such a gentleman."

    Kris had been averting his eyes, but couldn't help peeking just a bit. It wasn't as if Adam was actually a woman, so there was no harm in looking. Adam's bosom had already shrunk and his waist had expanded, giving him the shape of a man rather than the narrow-waisted hourglass figure he had possessed only a moment before.

"I'll spare you the transformation below my pantaloons." Adam said.  
"It's shocking the first time you see it."

    Kris snapped his mouth shut, only now aware that he had been staring with his mouth open. However, it fell open again as the long red hair fell from Adam's head, like feathers. The hair beneath it was wild and ink-black. Kris was momentarily distracted. Though Adam looked completely different once the effects of whatever concoction he had mixed up dissipated, he looked strikingly similar to the "woman" as well. The eyes were the same, gleaming sapphire color, and his lips framed a smile that made the doctor look perpetually amused.

"How on earth... Why would you...WHAT?" Kris asked several questions at once, and hoped he wasn't being rude. Out in the furthest reaches of the west, he had heard tell of men that dressed like women, when the real thing was scarce. Somehow he didn't think that this was what the stories were talking about.

Adam only laughed, pulling on a white shirt and slipping a pair of suspendered trousers on over the frilly white pantaloons. "It's an elixir I've been working on. I am hoping to alter the formula so that the effects last longer. I can only manage a few hours right now."

"Why would you want to be a woman?" Kris asked, feeling a blush rise in his cheeks.

Adam looked astounded, as if he had never considered that idea. "Oh, I don't." He wrinkled his nose. "It's not bad for awhile I suppose. But, Kristopher, you are missing the bigger picture. Imagine the implications! Espionage, traveling in disguise, theatre! I'm curious to see if it would work in the other direction."

"The other direction?" Kris asked, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Imagine if a woman could turn into a man temporarily! Why, she could purchase her own land, vote in political elections, travel without fear of misfortune. It would change the very fabric of our society!"

"I suppose it would." Kris nodded, eyes wide. It was an understatement, to be sure.

"You see now why I have need of a guard." Adam said, his voice taking on a distinctly confrontational tone. "I am sorry if I didn't mention the...questionable nature of some of my experiments in my letter. I didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."

Kris nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. Another understatement. The more religious folk in his hometown would have cast him out as a demon.

"Though from what I read of you, you seem like you have an open mind."

"What do you mean, reading about me? I am surprised you even know who I am. I suppose there might have been a few articles in the local paper, when I was a Marshall, but that was years ago."

Adam blinked.

"You can't be serious. Even a greenhorn like me knows about Krissy the Kid. Or Arkansas, as you like to be called."

"I like to be called that?"

"Don't you?" Adam said. "It says so in Weird West Weekly."

"What's-"

Adam cut him off.

"You don't read it? I thought everyone did. In fact, everyone does. It's newsletter, one of the most subscribed to publications in the country. And you're in nearly every issue."

If Kris was shocked by Dr. Lambert's gender-swapping antics, it was nothing compared to the news that he was apparently a celebrity. Now that he thought about it, it certainly explained a lot.

"My, my you really are a dullard, aren't you?" Adam clucked.

"I suppose I am." Kris said, shaking his head.

"No matter. You'll do. Why, your reputation alone should keep me safe, once your arrival here hits the W-3." Adam waved his hand dismissively as the carriage slowed to a stop.

"Dr-"

"Call me Adam." Adam insisted, laying a hand on Kris's shoulder as he rose. "And get your things." Kris tried to interject again, but Adam continued. "Don't mind the horse, Scott will be out in a moment to take care of him. What were you saying?"

"Adam." Kris took a breath. Getting a word in edgewise was clearly going to be a challenge. "Does it hurt?"

Adam blinked at him. "What?"

Kris flushed again, grateful for the cover of darkness.

"The...change."

"Oh. Like a bitch. But only on the way in." Adam snickered, stepping out of the coach and beckoning Kris to follow. "The way out is quite a relief. I wonder if it would be the opposite the other way around. I wish Mama Lil would let me try."

"Mama Lil?" Kris was confused again, and latched on to the only part of Adam's statement that made any sense. Did his mother live with him?

"In a moment. Is that you, Scott?" Adam called to a figure waiting just out of sight. "He always meets me outside. Swears he can hear me coming." Adam added, mumbling to Kris as he lit a torch.

"Of course I can." The man said, stepping forward into the torchlight. Kris gasped, shocked for the third time of the evening.

The man before him was thin and tall, with a huge head of blond curls. However, the thick mop was not his most distinguishing characteristic. No, that designation belonged to the metal gadget ... Kris supposed they were goggles of a sort ... strapped around his eyes. The lenses made his eyes look huge, and metal rings clacked and whirred, irises adjusting to the light.

"Pleased to meet you." Kris said, feeling guilty for gasping and starring. One would think seeing a woman turn into a man would make anything else less surprising. He scolded himself. "I'm-"

"Krissy the Kid, I've read all about you. I'm Scott, Dr. Lambert's assistant."

"Assistant?" Kris repeated, feeling like a parrot again. He hoped that he'd regain his ability to ask questions in full sentences sometime soon.

Scott laughed. " Lab Assistant and stable boy, I guess. Prestigious, right? It's a long story, but I'll let the doctor fill you in. He's completely batshit but brilliant." Scott said, ignoring the fact that Dr. Lambert was standing well within earshot. "He made me these." Scott continued, tapping his goggles. "Blind as a bat without 'em. So I pretty much do as told. It has its benefits. I can see AND watch the genius at work, even help out a bit. Plus he pays me. Can't complain."

"Sorry to hear. That you're blind. Glad you can see." Kris stammered. He chanced a glance up at Adam, who was smirking towards Scott.

"You dazzled him, didn't you?" Scott asked after appraising Kris's face for a moment. "I'd recognize that expression even without the specs. Adam, you've got stop making passes on people while you're a woman, it's not fair."

"I have to see how completely the transformation works. It's research." Adam protested.

"Spare me the details." Scott said, laughing. "I don't need to hear how you wooed Krissy the Kid before revealing your true identity."

"Oh, it wasn't like that. He was a perfect lady." Kris protested earnestly. Realizing how absurd he sounded, he laughed along with Scott and Adam.

"My Hero." Dr. Lambert grinned. "Your mama raised you right."

"Are you three gonna come in or do I have to eat this meal on my own?" A woman's voice called from the direction of the house.

"Comin' Mama!" Adam and Scott called in unison.

"Me too!" Kris shouted, not wanting to be left out. The three men walked in companionable silence toward the house. Kris couldn't make out much detail in the dim light, but in the hazy pink of the fading twilight, he could see a large house clad in cedar shakes. There were at least eight chimneys, and Kris thought he could see a rambling network of pipes snaking through the roofline and on behind the house.

***

  
    Dinner was a pleasant affair. Mama Lil turned out not to be Adam's mother. She was as different looking from Adam as you could get, with her long dark hair and skin the color of cocoa. Her smile, like his, could light up the room. In fact, that was a trait all three of the residents here had in common. They all looked inexplicably happy. Kris wanted to fit in, but he found he didn't even have to try. It was contagious. Before he knew it they were swapping stories.

    Lil had met "Dr. Adam" in New Orleans. He had hired her away from his distant relatives he had come to visit, and consequently was no longer welcome in their home. Adam said it was worth it, though, and Lil had blushed. She assisted him with welding on any metalwork, and ran his household seeing as Adam had never been married Adam had rolled his eyes when Kris asked about a wife.

"You sound like my mother."

"Well, she wants some gorgeous grandchildren. Just look at yourself!"  
Lil had interjected. "Isn't he the prettiest?" She asked Kris, who  
stammered.

"I suppose so."

    Adam arched an eyebrow.

"I suppose you thought I was prettier in the dress."

"No!" Kris said, flushing crimson. "Yes! I mean... it was different.  
Both ways are nice. I mean. Either. You look just fine."

    Scott slapped his knee. "Man, I can see you blushing from here." Scott had taken off his glasses and was reclining on a chair near the fireplace.

"I'm not!" Kris said, but he couldn't help laughing at the situation. He normally wouldn't have commented on another man's appearance, but the three eccentrics had put him at his ease.

"Don't worry about it, nothing to be ashamed of." Lil said. "We all think he's just precious." She pinched Adam's cheek and gave it a good shake. "Though you might give him a run for his money. You are so much cuter than the drawings in the Weekly give you credit for."

    Kris flushed and stammered a "thank you" but his mind had already moved past her compliment. There was that word again. Weekly. Everyone used it as if they were referring to a publication as common as the New York Times. Kris had never seen it.

"Sorry. I hate to ask, but I've never heard of the Weekly. Which is strange because apparently I feature heavily. Where is it published?"

    Scott fumbled around in a basket next to his chair and tossed a folded-up bundle of what looked like newspaper towards Kris. It missed by a good few feet, but Adam retrieved it, holding a finger to his lips and fighting down a smile as he handed it over to Kris.

"The Weird West Weekly...Words Wired from the West" was emblazoned on the cover, framing a picture of a shambling creature, half man and half snake in front of a setting sun and a cactus.

"I'M in this?" Kris asked incredulously. It looked like it had been printed on an antique press from a rather worn set of plates.

"Usually." Adam peered over his shoulder, leaning in for a closer look. "Yes, you should be on page twelve. They put the more fantastic news up front, the gun-slinging comes later."

    Kris scanned the article. It was a story that detailed his involvement in bringing a gang of train-robbers to justice. The gist of the story was correct, but he noticed a few details, like the number of men, had been fudged. The story implied that he had turned in 5, but hung the three ringleaders from a tree. In actuality, there had been only four robbers. One had taken a bullet but lived to tell the tale. The article had been written by someone called "The Snoop."

"They all go by pen names. That way you don't recognize them in the field." Adam explained when Kris had pointed out the strange author.

...Or hold them accountable for inaccuracies. Kris silently added. He flipped the paper over. It was published in North Carolina. This issue was a few months old.

"Have any more of these?" Kris asked. Adam nodded.

"They're all in the library. We kept this one out cause Lil likes thepicture."

Kris flipped back to the article, and sure enough, there was a drawing of Kris, wearing a menacing scowl and pointing a six-shooter.

"I think you look tough!" Lil said encouragingly, patting Kris on the shoulder as he flushed.

"I hope I don't disappoint." Kris said, brushing the back of his neck.

"Oh, no." Adam reassured him. "You look even better in person than you do in print." Unfortunately, Kris chose this moment to yawn widely, making Lil coo.

"Look at him. He's tuckered out. Where are your manners, Dr. Adam? You show him to his bed while Scott and I clean up." Scott sighed loudly, pulling on his glasses.

Kris started to protest, but Lil hushed him and shoo'd them both out of the dining room.

"Nice." He said to Adam absentmindedly.

"Lil? Or the house?"

"Both. Everyone, Scott too. You too. We didn't talk much about the job, but I hope it works out. I like it here already." In truth, Kris hadn't looked around the house much. It was spacious in comparison to anywhere else he had lived, and Adam led him down a long corridor towards the bedrooms, he presumed. The light from the candle flickered as Kris caught a glimpse of mirrors and paintings. He couldn't wait to see the house in the daylight.

"In here." Adam said, opening a door. He busied about the room, lighting a few candles so Kris could get oriented.

"It's immense." Kris said appreciatively.

"I'm just next door. Actually, we share a bathroom."

"A BATHROOM?" Kris goggled. He had never so lived anywhere with indoor plumbing. He had heard of it in New York City, but never had so much as seen a diagram of how they worked.

"It's a system I worked up. Too cumbersome for mass production but it works. Here, anyways. It's Devilstone powered, like most of my inventions." Kris walked into the room, his boots clacking against the wooden floor. He touched a metal lever and after a few moments and a sputtering noise, a bit of cold water flowed from a spigot.

"Let me show you." Adam said, and placed his hand on top of Kris's.  "Working the lever up and down produces a build up of pressure in the  
pipes. I generally find ten pumps enough to do the trick. When you've built up enough pressure, simply swing the lever left and it releases into the basin." He directed Kris's hand, and Kris marveled at the stream of water that shot out of the spout.

"The same basic premise is used for the bathing area. I like to take baths." He explained. "If you want to take a bath you've got to head over to the tank room and light a fire beneath the water tank. The fire heats the water and then you can have a warm bath." Adam looked at Kris's face, which Kris knew was a mask of astonishment. He had never been good at concealing his emotions. "It's crude compared to the systems back east, but on the frontier we all must make do."

"The water..." Kris shook his head. "I'm amazed. Truly. This is amazing. You are amazing."

"See why I need a guard? If the folks in town knew I had running water, there would be lines out my door." Adam swallowed, as if the thought of keeping water from the population offended him. "But it's only a secret till I figure out how to make it work on a large scale. Imagine, Kristopher, a system for the entire town! People could be clean more, have access to water wherever they lived. It could save lives. It could revolutionize the West!"

"It's unbelievable." Kris said honestly. "I'm afraid I am going to wake up and be back in The Golden Calf. This can't be real."

"It's real, I promise. But you've had a long, confusing day and I'm keeping you. Feel free to knock if you need anything, I'm just through the other bathroom door. Or you could go through the hall if you wanted I suppose, but that would be a waste of time. I'm up most of the night reading anyway, so don't worry about disturbing me. I don't sleep much."

    Kris just shook his head incredulously as Adam disappeared through thedoor to his bedroom.

"Good night, Dr. Lambert." He called, heading back to his room.

"Good night, Arkansas." Came a cheery reply. Kris pulled off his boots and folded his clothes on top of the chest at the end of his bed, as eager to go to sleep as he was to wake up the next morning.

 

  
**EPITAPH**

    The Snoop finished his article and re-read it with satisfaction. He made a mental note to drop it off at the depot tomorrow, before the trackless train took him north. It would be an interesting journey. The Snoopsmiled eagerly to himself. Tailing Krissy the Kid always made for an interesting journey, but this trek promised an even more interesting destination.

  
"Well folks, your favorite pint-sized pioneer has left the south, riding hard for scarier pastures in the Dakota Territories. I have it on good authority he's the new gun hand for area scientist Dr. Lambert. Yes, that's the same man whose last laboratory blew up just outside of New York City. Let's hope he's learned his lesson. You no-good-nicks out there might want to keep that in mind if you're fixin' for an easy score in Westport. If Krissy The Kid's gunhand don't get you, Dr. Lambert's mad antics certainly will. Barring either fate, your intrepid reporter  
will bring you the news as soon as it happens. That's "when," not "if" dear readers. These two legends-in-the-making will keep the pages filled, or I'm not "The Snoop."

Yep. It would be an interesting journey, indeed. The Snoop pulled off his trousers and resolved to spend one more quiet night in Texas before heading north into God-Knows-What.


	2. The Tale of Matty The Mute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Lambert and Arkansas come to the aid of Matty the Mute, a piano player who lost his ability to speak as a child. Kris settles in to life on the ranch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Bamberrific. Art by KateKat1010

 

**Prologue:**

  
    Dr. Lambert awoke with a start. Had he been asleep? He checked his window. The morning seemed to have come awake with the same jolt he had. Already the light was streaming in his window, honey-gold in its brilliance. Adam smiled at the sight of an elk stalking through his front yard, horns glistening with the dew of the early hour. If only there were a way to harvest the natural condensation, he thought, the makings of an experiment taking root in the back of his mind.

    If only it were the only thought that resided there. Adam moved away from the window and pulled on his clothing over a fresh pair of smalls. Other men wore the ubiquitous garment like a second skin, keeping it on until it crumbled off. Not so for doctor Adam Lambert, who pulled on a new set every day. The rest of his outfit consisted of brown high-waisted trousers, suspendered over a linen dress shirt. He topped the whole ensemble with a starched lab coat.

    Adam sighed as he checked his visage in the vanity mirror over his bedside table. His natural hair color was beginning to grow out. In his sophomore year at university, a freak lab accident had left his hair a stunning color; jet black over the natural ginger. He decided he liked the effect, and so recreated the conditions of the experiment a few times monthly. He moved to the bathroom and filled the basin, washing his face before applying his skin tonic. He had found that powdered Devilstone, mixed with a few other key ingredients, covered his freckles nicely without looking like he was wearing a woman's make up. An added bonus; he rarely burned in the sun after applying the mixture.  Perhaps that warranted further investigation. Adam filed that thought away for future consideration.

    If he lingered longer than normal in front of the mirror, he supposed it was due to the new face in his home. Kristopher Allen, the legendary gunslinger, had been in his house for less than a week, but already Adam was soothed by his presence. No one had so much as rode by after the news of his departure from Texas had hit the Weird West Weekly. Adam found that he could already sleep more soundly. It had a negative impact on the amount of time he had to work, but the days were spent in pleasant company.

    He grinned to himself when he thought of his surprise; a welcome gift he had sent for after reading in the Weekly that Kris had smashed his guitar, having used it as an impromptu weapon against a randy ranch-hand that had made unwelcome advances on a woman that happened to be passing by on Kris's long journey north. The box should be arriving today - the package only had to travel as far as Deadwood, and he had sent Scott to place the order on the day Kris had arrived.

Adam could hardly wait to see his face.

    It was peculiar; the Weekly had made Kris out to be an unlikely hero, painting him as a man barely on the side of good. So far, Adam found him full of inherent goodness; the kind of character so many church-going men professed hollowly seemed to grow naturally inside the gunslinger.  There was nothing of the fearsome fighter he had read about. Then again, Adam had yet to see him fight.  
Perhaps the opportunity would soon present itself. Adam reached beneath his bed and removed a thick book. Perhaps it was time for an excursion.

  
**The Tale**

    Kris could hardly believe his luck. He moved as if in a dream, padding down the long hallway towards the kitchen. If his shared bathroom was a technological marvel, the kitchen was nothing short of a miracle. Lil presided over a herd of devices that Kris could only guess the purpose of on a daily basis, cranking out such culinary concoctions, as Kris had never seen.  She did this all before noon, since after noon Adam put her to work in the steel shop, welding together whatever scraps of metal struck his fancy.

    This morning breakfast was pancakes drenched in syrup and wild berries. Kris kissed Lil on the cheek, which made her flush and smack him on the shoulder. It was strange that everyone called her Mama Lil, since she was essentially the same age. But she was so maternal the monniker felt comfortable and lived in.

    After finishing breakfast, he headed out to the stable to help Scott with the horses. It was a job Kris enjoyed, and even better company. Kris had taken to Scott as much as he had Lil, and the mercurial master of the house himself. This morning, however, Kris found the stable empty but for his own horse. Scott had evidently taken the open wagon and team into town.

    He kissed Conway on the nose and patted her flank. She already had her morning oats, so Kris was quick about brushing her down and turning her loose to run in the paddock. She looked well rested and happy. A quick glance in the mirror this morning had said as much about himself. Though Adam had expressed the need for a guard, Kris was hard pressed to imagine what danger could befall him in this idyllic setting. No, it was likely that Adam would notice the quiet soon and send him packing.

    The thought was altogether unpleasant, but he was distracted from his unhappy thoughts by the sound of a horse-driven wagon bumping along the approach to the barn. Kris waved as he recognized Scott's floppy head of hair in the breeze.

"Hop in" Scott called, waving him over. "I've gotta drive this right up to the lab, it's a delivery."

"Is it dangerous?" Kris asked, wondering why on earth Adam would need him to be present for a delivery.  
Scott just snorted. "I've stopped asking questions. It's easier just to go along."  

    Kris nodded, sticking out his lower lip a bit as he considered the advice. The wagon continued a little further up the path to the low, corrugated steel building that housed Dr. Lambert's laboratory. Adam was waiting expectantly at the doorway, sunlight filtering through the trees onto his dark hair and white lab coat. His hair was somewhat disheveled, and Kris had no doubt he had been in the midst of some great discovery. The item must be important; Adam didn't often take a break in the middle of the day.

"It's here!" Adam exclaimed as his eyes fell on the long crate in the back of the wagon. He clasped his hands together. "Kristopher, would you?"

Kris hopped down from his seat beside Scott and lifted the pine box. It wasn't as heavy as it appeared.

"Do ya' want it in the lab, Adam?"

"For now." Adam led him into the building, and Kris let his eyes sweep over the area for a likely place to set it down.  The tables were crowded with experiments in various states of completion. One experiment had expanded beyond the borders of its table, and the materials were propped up on a series of sequentially smaller boxes until the last phase sat on the compacted earthen floor.  
It was to this experiment Adam returned, leaving Kris to decide where to set the package.  He settled on the very center of the floor, where light from a skylight filtered in, catching the floating ghosts of dust and various fumes upwards towards the vent.  
   
"Be a dear and open it." Adam mumbled, measuring a vial of something and pouring it into a black liquid Kris didn't recognize. Kris searched the room again, and finding a pry bar, popped the lid open with minimal effort. Inside, beneath the sawdust packing, lay a guitar. Gingerly, he picked up the instrument. It was a beautiful specimen, far nicer than the one he had inadvertently destroyed on the ride north. The body of it was honey colored, with mother of pearl inlay in the shape of twisted vines. His reverie was interrupted by a small cough. Kris looked up to see Adam staring at him expectantly.

"Do you like it?" He asked in a soft voice, eyes locked on Kris.

"It's beautiful." Kris exhaled. "Is it for an experiment?"

Adam chuckled. "It's for you. A welcome gift. I thought it would make you feel more at home. I read about what happened to your last one."

Kris ran his hands along the neck of the guitar, at a loss for words. After a moment, he looked up at the Doctor, who was still watching him with an inscrutable expression on his face.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you. I'm amazed, Adam, really." He strode towards the other man and pulled him into a casual hug. Adam felt stiff beneath his arms, but relaxed a bit when Kris patted his back.

"If you wanted, you could play with the fellow at The Golden Calf, the piano player. I am sure he'd be glad to meet a fellow musician."  
"I think I'd like that." Kris said, pulling back from the embrace. "What's his name?"

"Don't know. I've never spoken with him. I'm not often at the saloon. If you wanted to go, though, I'd ride with you. It could be an interesting way to spend the evening. If you'd like." Adam said stiffly, fumbling with a piece of equipment that looked fragile.

"That would be amazin' Adam. I'll go string her and practice up a bit. What do you say we leave after dinner? Would you be done by then?"

    Adam beamed, his smile washing over Kris seemed to brighten the dim room. "I can make that work. I'll take Glamour into town. I've been neglecting her." Glamour was Adam's black mare, a temperamental beast if Kris had ever met one. Scott had warned him that only Adam could handle her, and though Kris had tried bribing her with some sugar cubes, she only flattened her ears at him. There was just no pleasing some people, or horses, Kris supposed.

  


***

  
    
    The ride into town was uneventful. Kris had changed into his best brown tweeds and Adam had forsaken his white lab coat for a set of black trousers and a black shirt, suspendered of course. You could barely see him in the darkness atop his black mount; his skin seemed ghostly by contrast. Adam chatted merrily about his education and about the research grant he had received to study the properties in Devilstone and the creatures that were inhabiting the Badlands.  Apparently the laboratory he had been working in had lost its funding due to a small accident. Adam's uncle, a retired prospector who had never married, had also recently passed away, leaving Adam as the sole inheritor of his fortune, so long as he did what he could to use his talent to better the plight of mankind. It was a charge that Adam had taken seriously.  Soon the relative silence of the trail dissolved into the chaos of the town at twilight. Kris could hear the tinkling of the piano outside the saloon, and felt the corners of his mouth tug up in a grin.

    The doors swung open and the crowd fell silent. The patrons stared at the newcomers, but for once Kris didn't feel like the recipient of the hard glances. One man, a Devilsminer by the look of him, got up from his table and sneered.

"Thought I told you..."

    He was interrupted by Mac, who clasped his hand on the man's shoulder in a gesture of warning. Kris felt his entire body stiffen. What did this...common piece of saloon trash have against Adam? Mac leveled the other man with a withering glare and a jerk of his head towards Kris. Kris heard his name..

"Krissy the Kid" slithering amongst the group, and the miner turned white and sat down, mumbling an apology.

    Kris reached behind him, feeling for his guitar strap. The entire group gasped, sure he was about to draw his gun. Kris even heard the miner whimper in fear. He couldn't help but laugh as he swung the instrument around to the front. The crowd let out their breath and went back to their business as suddenly as they had stopped.

"Thought I could play a bit, if your piano player don't mind." Kris shot the man at the piano a questioning look.  The man brightened and waved him over. Kris turned to Adam.

"Why don't you sit with me." Kris said, casting a wary look towards the assembled townsfolk.  He didn't know what bone the miner had with Adam, but he was sure as hell not going to let anything happen to him on their first venture to town.  Adam nodded gratefully and placed his hand on Kris's elbow as demurely as any maid.

"What do they call you?" Kris asked the piano man, who wore a white shirt and red suspenders. The suspenders matched the band on his straw hat. For some reason, the question drew a sad look from the player, until the barkeep called over.

"That's Matty the Mute. We call him that cause he can't say much. Well, nothing, to be honest."

"I'm sorry, man." Kris mumbled, placing a hand on Matty's shoulder. "How'd it happen?"

Matt placed a hand on his forehead, then pulled it away sharply as if it was hot. He then mimed pockmarks on his face and throat and pointed to his red suspenders.

"Scarlet Fever." Adam said, looking very far away. "When he was very young.  The fever must have scabbed over his vocal chords, rendering them almost useless. The pain would have been too great for a child to suffer through, so he would have stopped trying to talk. After a while, the ability would have atrophied. It's a rare symptom, but known to happen out here, away from doctors that know what they are doing. Was that it?"

Matt looked amazed, and took Adam's hand. A single tear ran down his cheek as he nodded.  
.  
"I bet no one else knows that." Kris guessed, judging by Matty's reaction to Adam's diagnosis. "He probably wasn't even born here. It's a wonder they even know his name - though I bet he can write it."  
   
Matt brightened, pointing at his sheet music, which had his name scrawled across the top. Kris bit his lip, but did his best to smile at the childish lettering. He guessed that Matt could write little else beside his name, which wasn't uncommon in the general population. Still, he would have hoped someone would have bothered to teach him, seeing as his other forms of communication were so limited.

"What should we play?" Kris asked Adam, not wanting to make Matt feel worse. He thumbed through the songs, reading the titles. Each title had a picture drawn by it - Kris assumed it was how Matt told them apart.  Matt yanked one of his sheets out excitedly and thrust it towards Kris.

"Jim Wilson." Kris grinned. "That alright, Adam?"  Adam nodded and smiled encouragingly at Matt, who banged the opening chord so hard Adam jumped.

Kris strummed along and opened his mouth to sing the lyrics, when to his surprise a voice from behind them cut through the din of the saloon.

Kris looked up and was surprised to see Fightin' Mac belting out the tune, beer in his hand. The men around him joined in on the chorus. He had a fantastic voice, higher than Kris would have expected given to the man's size. The energy from the group of men all singing together filled Kris with happiness - it reminded him of home, of growing up in Arkansas with his schoolmates. They played song after song, Mac obliging the hooting crowd with more singing. 

He glanced over at Adam, and almost stopped strumming. The doctor was oblivious to the fun around him, and instead was staring sadly at Matty the Mute. It was a look Kris had seen before, when Adam was stuck on a problem he couldn't solve.  It usually meant a night awake, listening to Adam pace the floorboards until dawn.

***

  
"Get up!"

    Kris had been dreaming a strange dream about Adam in a blue dress when dream-Adam had begun shouting at him to get up. It didn't make any sense as neither of them had been lying down in the dream.  
It was the shaking that had brought him to. Kris opened his eyes to see Adam leaning over him. His first thought is that there was some trouble, and reached for the gun he kept by his bed. Blindly groping, he stopped his search when Adam shoved a book in his hand.

"You'll need this."

Kris blinked a few times and squinted at the tome. It was titled "A Badlands Bestiary."

"What?" Kris said, sitting up and swung his legs over the side of the bed so that Adam could sit next to him. Adam grabbed the book back and flipped it open so that Kris could see.

    There was a picture of a humanoid creature, but its limbs dangled from its shoulders to the ground, where long claws scratched at the dirt.  Its mouth hung open, revealing a wide throat rimmed by pointy teeth.

"What is that?" Kris asked, though he could clearly read the name of the creature. It was labeled "Harpseechord."

"That's what we need. Well, actually, just her throat." Adam snapped the book closed. "So we'll leave this morning and hopefully make Scenic in two days. We can stay in town there, and hit the rainbow rocks by noon the next day." Adam stood up and tugged Kris to his feet.  "Bring your guns, Kristopher."

"Hold on. We need a_ throat_? A _Harpseechord_ throat? Let me see that book again. What could you possibly-"

"It's for Matt. The piano player. No time for questions, Kristopher. Scott has Conway all saddled up."

And so they rode.

  


***

    Adam was one of the strangest companions Kris had ever shared a trail with. It was common to huddle close for warmth once the sun sank, but Adam had been reluctant.  It was only after Kris had assured him that he didn't mind the closeness that Adam slid next to him inside his bedroll, laying his own bedroll on top of them like a quilt.  
   
"So are you going to explain this to me, or not?" Kris asked as Adam stared up at the starry sky.

"I never even shared a room at university. Not that I mind, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable." Adam didn't even blink, as his eyes seemed to trace the constellations.

"Not that." Kris said, chuckling low in his throat. "This business about Matty."

"Oh." Adam said, and Kris swore he saw Adam's cheeks flush in the starlight. "That. Well, I explained how his vocal chords must have been damaged beyond the body's ability to heal them. So what we need is vocal chords with extraordinary healing capabilities. Humans don't regenerate that way; this monster does. If I combine it with a modulator, I should be able to create a device, which would, when implanted in his throat, act as a magnifier replace his natural ability to speak. At least that's the simple version. Not that you-"

Kris chuckled again, leaning his head against Adam's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I know what you mean. The simple version is just fine. But Adam -"

"Yes." Adam's breath seemed to catch in his throat. He turned away from the stars to look at Kris.

"What if he doesn't want an implant? That might be dangerous.  I mean, has anyone ever got a throat transplant from a Harpseechord before?"

Adam looked surprised, as if that wasn't the question he was anticipating. Once the surprise wore off, his expression of shock only grew. Kris very much doubted that Adam had considered the notion that Matt might not want to undergo the procedure.

"I can do this, Kris.  I need you to believe in me. If you don't, Matt never will." The look on his face was so profoundly sad that Kris reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Of course I think you can do it. I don't know Matt very well though, I just wondered if he'd consent."

"Imagine never being able to talk. Never introducing yourself, never making any friends. Never being able to tell the one you love that you love them. It must be a lonely life. I....wouldn't want that for anyone. That's why I want to help him. It's the right thing to do."

"You're a better man than most, Adam Lambert." Kris said, and he believed it.

***

    The Harpseechord fished its long fingers into the stream that wound through the rainbow rocks. It came up with a silvery trout, which it swallowed in one gulp, but not before scissoring off the tail in one snap of its powerful jaws.

"So, should I just shoot it, then?"

 "No, that's a male. We need a female. The male's warble sounds at a level too low for humans to hear."

 "How do we get a female, then?"

"Wait." Adam said, pulling Kris tightly against him as he crouched behind a cluster of rocks to small to really hide them both. He pointed with his free hand.

    The male Harpsee spread its long arms wide and opened its mouth. The earth seemed to vibrate beneath them, sending small showers of pink and yellow pebbles tumbling into the canyon. After a few moments, three females skulked out from crevasses in the earth, their scales matching the color of the rocks that were their homes.

 "That one is the youngest." Adam said, pointing out the smallish one on the left of the male. "He'll choose the largest one to breed with - she's probably whelped a few times, The Harpsees aren't intelligent, per se, but they conform to standard evolutionary theory."

"Evolutionary what?" Kris asked.

"The Origin of Species. What do they teach you down in Arkansas?"

"Not that."

"Survival of the fittest is one aspect of it. The male will pick the strongest looking female to bear his children."

"I suppose that makes sense." Kris reasoned, watching the group of Harpsee's carefully. The male finally nudged the largest female with one of his claws, and she sang out a note, a B flat, if Kris wasn't mistaken. It sounded like the voice of a human male. For the first time, Kris really believed that the plan had a chance of working.

As the happy couple departed, the smaller of the two Harpsees parted ways, ostensibly waiting for another earth-shaking mating call. Kris couldn't help but pity them.

At Adam's signal, Kris raised his shotgun, aimed carefully, and fired. The boom from the gun sent showers of rocks streaming down the canyon again. Kris heard angry warbles coming from various crevices. As the smoke and dust cleared, Adam shouted

"Cover me, Arkansas" and dashed from behind their cover towards the fallen Harpsee. Kris followed him, taking aim at the first Harpseechord that moved towards Adam.  He hit it right between the eyes, and dropped his shotgun to pull his pistol from his belt just as Adam pulled a large knife from the pocket of his duster. He plunged it into the beast, green blood pooling from the wound and coating Adam's sleeves.

Three more Harpsees met their end before Adam had extracted the necessary component and tucked it safely away in a specimen box.

"Get back to the horses; there's too many of them."

Indeed, the swarm was overwhelming now. Kris didn't mount up until Adam was safely astride. Firing over his shoulder, he relied on the sound of Glamour's hoofs to direct him.  After they crossed the Swooning Plain, Conway and Glamour slowed to a walk.

"That was close." Kris sighed, wiping his forehead with his bandanna and taking a long gulp of water from his canteen.

"Close nothing, Kristopher. I'd take you over a plague of Harpseechords any day. Maybe next week we can move on to something more worthy of your prowess, like Belltollers."

"I don't even know what that is, but I am pretty sure they'll be horrifying." Kris said. "But if it's for as good of a cause, I'm your man."  
   
"I'll hold you to that." Adam replied, quirking his eyebrow as they rode towards the pink and yellow horizon.

  
**EPITAPH  
**   
_    He makes the blind see and the mute sing "Clementine." No, good readers, I'm not talking about the Lord and Savior, I'm talking about Dr. Adam Lambert.  Apparently, he and Krissy the Kid have been philanthropizing, because formerly mute local piano player Matthew Giraud can now be heard vocalizing. After the first successful vocal chord transplant, the patient's first words were to ask for Mr. Arkansas' signature.  The gunslinger obliged as Matt shook the hand of his doctor, who braved an entire pod of vicious Harpseechords to gain the raw materials needed for the surgery._

Not only can the man speak, but his vocal stylings have recently been heard accompanying his piano playing at The Golden Calf.  If you can believe that, you can believe the reports I heard of Krissy himself strumming and singing along. Take that one with a grain of salt, people.  Unless I hear it with my own ears, it didn't happen.  
Till next week dear readers!

The Snoop.


	3. The Foundation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While ingredient-hunting, Dr. Lambert and The Kid meet up with a Preacher-man who needs some assistance. Kris begins to experience some unexpected emotions in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Bamberrific, Art by KateKat1010

 

 

**Prologue:**

"Drop the money and grab some sky." The masked man snarled, pointing his six-shooter against Daniel’s chest.

"You bastard." Daniel said, letting the sack slip through his fingers. He winced when it hit the dirt.

"Normally I'd kill ya' now, but you look like you've got strong arms. Boys, put him to work loading the cart." The bandit motioned towards the train car in which Daniel had been riding, where the foundation's money lay in one thousand cloth sacks piled from floor to ceiling.

    Daniel worked until his muscles ached, thinking of how much harder he had worked to get this endowment, thinking of how much good the money would have done in Westport. Each year, more than a few children lost their fathers to the Devilstone mines. Without that income, new widows had to turn to hard labor, or worse, prostitution in order to feed their children. There was a group of dilapidated houses that Daniel had hoped to purchase and repair in order to house these families; provide clothing and food and perhaps some seed money to send the children back east to find vocations outside of the mines that had claimed their father's lives.

He tried to keep it back, but as he loaded the final bag onto the cart, he broke into tears, pleading with the bandits.

"If y'all have any mercy. This money is for children, children whose lives..."

"Can it, Preacher man." Their leader said from the back of his paint mare. "Unless you want your last words to be beggin' for your life instead of prayers."

Daniel Gokey closed his eyes and knelt. Moments later he heard a gunshot and braced for the death he knew was imminent. More gunfire rang out, and he heard a stranger call

"Get on the ground!"

     He pressed his belly to the dirt and lay still, trembling in the dirt until he heard the cart start to move and the thunder of hooves as the bandits made their escape.

    Somehow the sound was worse than death.

  
**The Tale**

  
"... and this is the Redfire plant. Careful, it's poisonous to the touch, even for horses. Thus the name." Adam indicated from the back of Glamour. Kris jerked Conway's reins sharply to the right, closer to Adam and Glamour. Their boots brushed, and Adam smiled down at Kris even as Glamour flattened her ears and nipped Conway on her flank.

"It's quite a pain to harvest." Adam said, dismounting.

"You need it for something?" Kris asked, eyeing the plant warily, as if it would spring up at him.

"Of course. Why else would we ride halfway to Deadwood when I could have stayed in the lab all day?"

    Kris grinned, taking in the view. They were on the top of a sloping hill, which overlooked a vast prairie. The wildflowers were in full bloom, blowing amongst the tall grasses in the gentle breeze. The sky was a familiar blue, it reminded him of the first time he had met Adam. Kris had been so taken with "the woman's" eyes that he had been almost too shy to speak. Though the rest of Adam had changed shape shortly thereafter, Kris was still charmed by the clear-sky color of Adam's eyes. What few clouds there were looked as if they had been painted, perfect dollops of white in an endless sea of azure. A trackless train was winding its way through the grasses, releasing little puffs of blue smoke from its Devilstone engine.

"...and when you add powdered Devilstone, it gives off a brilliant light and turns blue. If I could make the reaction last a bit longer, I think that it could be used to increase safety in the mines. There are so many explosions due to natural gas coming into contact with the light from miner's torches."

"Oh, of course!" Kris said, flushing. He had been so caught up in comparing the blue of the sky to Adam's eyes that he had completely missed the fact that Adam had been explaining his latest experiment. "I mean, can you imagine the implications?" Kris raised an eyebrow, mimicking Adam's expression when he was excited about a new invention flawlessly.

    Adam laughed, holding out his hand for Kris to dismount. Though Conway was a smallish horse, it was still a leap.

    Only Adam would think of today's excursion as a distraction from the dusty and dark laboratory. When he had told Kris to saddle up Conway, Kris had assumed that Adam merely wanted to ride for the sheer pleasure of being outside with good company on such a glorious day. He watched as Adam removed a long pair of shears from his leather bag and attached a mechanical grabber to the handle. Skillfully, he snipped the blossoms from the vine, using the trigger on the grabber to catch the blooms as they fell.

"Inside pocket of my vest, Kristopher, if you please."

Kris moved close to the doctor and slid his hand beneath the fabric, feeling for the pocket. Inside, he found a cloth specimen bag.

"Hold it open." Adam instructed, and Kris pulled the bag open as wide as he could to avoid contact with the toxic shrubbery as Adam slid the shears inside and released the catch on the grabber.

"Okay, one more time." Adam said, turning back to the plant.

    Almost subconsciously, Kris had been listening to the thaa-rumm thaa-rumm of the trackless train in the distance. It's sudden absence sent a tingle down his spine. Only a second later he heard the explosion.  Instinct took over. He closed the bag, just as Adam was about to fill it. The Redfire grazed Kris's hand and instantly pain blossomed on his skin. Adam yelped, but Kris had already dropped the bag and taken off towards the sound on foot.

"Train robbers." He said, mumbling to Adam after pulling him down into the long grass.

"You....little...antelope." Adam gasped between pants. "I haven't run that fast since my lab blew up."

"What?"

"Long story. Not now. Breathing."

"Well you breathe. I'm going to get in a bit closer and see what's going on."

"Stay..." Adam looked at him, panic clear on his face.  "Stay safe, Kris."

The scene made Kris's trigger finger itch. There were five masked men, one mounted and four surrounding a well-dressed man with dark hair and spectacles. From his black clothing and wide-brimmed hat, Kris marked him as a preacher.  The preacher was kneeling with his hands behind his head just as the ringleader raised his shotgun.

Kris had to act fast. Jumping up from his vantage point he raised his gun and pulled the trigger, releasing the bullet into the barrel of the bandit's shotgun.

"Get on the ground!" He screamed at the kneeling man. Relief flooded him as he watched the man hit the dirt.

He didn’t have but a moment to react. The other men opened fire in his direction, and Kris dove sideways, firing as he flew through the air. Two men dropped before Kris hit the ground, unscathed by the rain of gunfire that had sailed to his left.  The remaining three bandits took off, taking with them whatever payload they had come for and leaving their captive behind.

"Dr. Lambert! Come over here, someone's hurt!" Kris shouted, hoping his voice would carry to where he had left Adam. He was relieved when he saw Adam's black hair pop into view above the grass.  For the briefest of moments, Kris felt that for all the world Adam was running towards him and not towards the fallen man who still lay trembling in the dirt.  It was not an unpleasant feeling; unlike the unreasonable stab of jealousy that pained his stomach as Adam knelt down next to the man and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Kris shook his head to clear the feeling and knelt beside Adam.

"It's Reverend Gokey." Adam told Kris. "I think he's in shock.'

"Who would rob a preacher?" Kris asked, pulling his canteen from his shoulder and holding it to Reverend Gokey's lips. The man drank eagerly, blinking his eyes. The water must have brought him back to, for he immediately jumped to his feet.

"The Bass Mountain Boys, I'd swear on the Book of Matthew that it was them. All the foundation money. All the money. You gotta help me. I know you're just a crackpot scientist and a cold-blooded killer but you just gotta."

"What?" Adam said, a frown clouding over his face.

"I didn't mean that. No offense. I'm just...We haven't met, Mr. Arkansas, I'm Reverend Daniel Gokey."

"Why don't you calm down and explain what happened." Kris said, bristling at being called a cold-blooded killer by a man whose life he had just saved.

"I've been all over the east coast the past few months drumming up donations for my foundation - I wanted to start a group home for families of deceased mine workers in Westport. I collected thirty five thousand dollars. We don't have a bank in Westport so I had to consolidate all the money in Deadwood and then move it up here on the Trackless. I don't know how the gang found out the Trackless route, but they ambushed me. The driver died in the explosion - I guess they had set up some TNT along the way."

"Not likely." Adam said, peering beneath the Trackless. This looks like the remainder of a time-delay mechanism. He pulled out a mass of charred wires and waved it around as if Kris and Daniel would recognize it better while moving. "It might have been an inside job. If someone at the Trackless company..."

"I'm telling you it was the Bass Mountain Boys. I read about them in the Weekly." Danny insisted, frowning.

"I thought they were in Colorado." Kris said, turning his head towards Adam to exchange a glance. He wanted to help the preacher, but the man seemed intent on making it more difficult than necessary.

"We gotta follow them. It's three on three now, and we got the man, the myth, the legend: Krissy the Kid here. If we can catch up to them they won't know what hit 'em. I'm not bad with a gun. I mean, I used'ta be good. I gave it up to follow God's teachings but I think it's like in the Bible. There's a time to reap and a time to sow. A time to give up violence and a time to round up a posse and hunt down some thieving bastards with Old Testament vengeance."

"I don't remember that particular passage," Kris said. "But I think we agree on principle.

"So whattaya say boys? Should we saddle up and ride?"

    Adam and Kris had a small conversation with their eyes. Adam looked annoyed, but he kept looking off in the direction the gang had ridden off. He ordered a lot of materials via the Trackless Train. If there was a criminal infiltrating the system, it would make sense that he'd want to stop them.

    Kris just wanted to help the foundation; this wasn't the first time he had heard of the orphan and widow problem in the Dakotas. The Devilstone mines were dangerous places. There were frequent gas explosions, cave-ins, and also strange, unaccounted for deaths in the mines.  The sad thing was that once the fatherless children grew up; they usually took to the mines in order to earn enough money to live. Perhaps Reverend Gokey could make a difference.

"We'll ride. But you've got a problem. There's only two horses and neither of you have guns."

    Danny got down on one knee next to one of the dead bandits. He unbuckled the gun belt and pulled it gingerly from around the dead man's waist. After clipping it around his own mid section, he looked into the man's face and gently closed his eyelids, murmuring a prayer. He repeated the gesture with the other cadaver, handing the gun belt to Adam.

"Well that takes care of that." Kris said. "But the horses."

"Danny can take Conway. Glamour is strong enough to carry us both." Adam spoke up, warily taking the gun belt from Danny. He fumbled with it, looking awkward and unsure of himself as he fitted it over his pants. Kris eyed Glamour nervously, reaching out to pat her flank.

Adam clucked to her and held her steady. Her eyes rolled angrily in their sockets but her ears stayed forward.

"It'll be alright. She likes you."

Kris snorted a laugh as Glamour tried to nip him.

"If you say so, Adam. How do I..." Kris gestured awkwardly towards the horse. He wasn’t sure how to get on without kicking Adam in the face.

    Adam got off Glamour and mumbled to her, kissing her nose as Kris mounted. She held perfectly still beneath Adam's hand. He took her reins and noted how tersely she carried her bit. She felt afraid, not angry, and Kris wondered where Adam had got her and what condition she had been in. He patted her tentatively as Adam swung up behind him, pushing Kris forward in the saddle. It was surprising how well they fit together, Adam's chin fitting just above Kris's head.

Kris looked over at Daniel, who had been watching them mount up a bit apprehensively. He was soon astride Conway, who danced a bit under the unfamiliar weight.

"Easy, girl." Kris calmed her, the horse steadying at the smooth sound of Kris's voice.

"Let's ride!" Adam shouted suddenly, slipping one hand around Kris's waist and spurring Glamour into a gallop. His other hand fell on Kris's thigh and suddenly Kris forgot about the reason they were riding, forgot the pain in his right hand from the stinging Redfire plant. He even forgot about the heartache that he had carried around with him in his chest for years now.  The horse between his legs was pure power and the man behind his back knew just how to handle her. Though it was Kris's hands on the reins, it was Adam's movements she responded to. Every shift in his hips was an unspoken command. Kris learned his language too, feeling his body lean forward when he felt Adam press against his back; tilt backwards when he felt Adam's hands tighten on his chest.

    Across the plain they raced, Kris lost in the rhythm of the hoof beats and the movement of Adam's body against his. A feeling bubbled up in his chest. It was like longing but Kris didn't know what for. He only knew that this felt good. Fisting the reigns in his right hand, he let his left fall atop Adam's, filling the gaps between Adam's fingers with his own fingertips. Adam pressed against his back and Kris edged Glamour on faster, the pace of her hooves finally matching the fevered pitch of Kris's heart as Adam's hand tightened around his leg,

***

    It was sunset when Kris held up his hand and pulled back sharply on Glamour's reins.

"Hey, girl, Heeey." Adam said, calming her down as she fought for her head. Conway had already stopped, having seen Kris's hand. She now stood placidly, ears twitching as Daniel patted her on the side.

"Why did we stop? They could be getting away. We should ride up on them and take them by surprise." Daniel said, bringing Conway along side Glamour. The two horses seemed to exchange glances. Kris imagined that Conway was griping about her rider, to which Glamour snorted and tossed her head, as if to say "trade you."

"They've got a cart, so they have to be traveling slowly. Even with the head start, we should be upon them now. If we're lucky they don't know their being followed, and even if they do they think there's only two of us.  They've got to stop their horses, and riding at night, even through the open prairie, is dangerous. We're only a little northwest of the Badlands, and lord knows what could come creeping out of there." Kris theorized. "If it were me, I'd circle up for the night, sleep in shifts, and head a bit off bearing into those trees, hoping the forest would conceal the smoke."

"Sounds reasonable, since most of the Badlands creatures wouldn't go into a forest.  The habitat is too different.  We could sneak up on them." Adam chimed in, his voice thick with excitement. Kris realized that this was probably Adam’s first time riding down train robbers. The thought wasn’t exactly comforting.

"Exactly. They probably would set up camp along a stream. Any in the area?" Kris asked, turning to Daniel.

    Daniel took a moment, looking around the landscape in the quickly diminishing light. Kris heard a coyote howl at the sliver of moon that had escaped the shadow of the earth.

"There." He pointed. A small outcropping of low trees and tall grass marred the otherwise uniform landscape, leading into the forest. "I bet that's a stream. It looked like that back home in the cow pastures, the trees always sprung up around the little creeks that the cows drank from."

"Cows?" Adam asked, and Kris could practically hear his nose wrinkling.

Daniel laughed. "You wouldn't know it by the accent but I'm from Wisconsin. That's north of Chicago. I grew up on a dairy farm."

"I know where Wisconsin is." Adam mumbled, as though he hadn't really been sure.

"How'd you get out here?" Kris asked, motioning for Adam to dismount. He followed suit, taking Adam's hand to jump down from the great height of Glamour's back.

"I...let's just say I fell into the wrong crowd, alright? You know what it's like, man. You've done things. I read about them. But you seem alright now. I'm alright now too. I gave up that life, I wanna help people. Hey maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe I was supposed to meet you all.  We make a funny group; a preacher, a gunslinger, and a bona-fide mad scientist.” Daniel chucked at his own joke.  “God works in mysterious ways."

"He sure does." Adam said, his even tone masking the sarcastic meaning Kris was sure hid in his words.  "But that's enough, Reverend Gokey. We need to tie up the horses and get a move on."

Kris led the way towards the probable stream, stopping every now and again to look and listen to their surroundings. He smiled and gave Daniel a thumbs-up when he heard the trickling of water.

"Just like home." Daniel repeated, returning the gesture. Kris thought he heard Adam groan, and smiled to himself. He could tell that the two men carried an uneasy tension between them. Kris guessed it was because Adam didn’t attend the church service in town. Since Adam hadn’t told him about it, Kris hadn’t gone either. Instead he just prayed a bit in his room, figuring God would hear him anyway.

A few minutes later Kris smelled smoke and roast meat. He held up his hand again.

"We've gotta wait it out. They're eating dinner so all of them will still be awake. Let's head downstream a ways and sit down."

"I could use a bit of a rest anyway. Mind if I nod off for a bit? They hit me in the head pretty good, and that explosion. It was a good thing I was on the other side of the train car. That poor driver..." Daniel looked up at the stars, searching for something, it seemed. "It seems so pointless. Why is death so pointless?"

    Kris felt his throat tighten. "Take an hour." He told Daniel. Adam and I will keep watch."  Kris winced. If his hand had been stinging before, it was positively on fire now. He moved towards the stream, plunging his hand into the cold water.  The burning feeling only increased, and Kris withdrew it with a hiss, biting his other hand to keep from crying out. Adam was by his side in a moment.

"Let me see," Adam said, taking the injured hand gently and turning it over. "I'm so sorry, Kristopher." He said, placing his hand over the pained area. The heat from his hand felt good and the pain subsided somewhat.

"It's my own fault. I'm the one that went taking off without a warning. Should have waited till you were done."

"I'm the one that had you out there helping me with that dangerous shit in the first place." Adam shot back, rubbing his fingers on Kris’s hand.

"Adam, you hired me to help you with dangerous shit." Kris argued, angry that Adam was blaming himself.

"That was before I cared about you getting hurt." Adam admitted softly, squeezing Kris hand gently. The pain was almost gone now, and Kris sighed relief, even if it was only temporary.

"Are you gonna fire me, then?"  Kris looked up at him, honestly worried about the answer.

"No. I've gotten used to you, Mr. Arkansas." Adam's voice was mildly teasing, and Kris felt a warmth effuse him that had nothing to do with the Redfire plant.

"Yeah." Kris mumbled. "S'mutual."

"Just try to keep it hot."

"What?" Kris's mouth quirked into a confused grin, wondering what on earth Adam could mean.

"Your hand. Honestly, Kristopher, do try and keep up." Adam laughed, eyes and teeth flashing in the starlight. "Till we get to back to the laboratory this is the best we can do. We should have gone there right away. I'm worried about permanent nerve damage. Left untreated..."

"We had to follow these robbers and get the money back for those kids. Daniel’s right, they need some hope. Besides, there's nothing that could go wrong with me that you couldn't fix, Adam Lambert. I haven't known you long but that much I've got figured out."

Adam hummed a bit, obviously enjoying the ego-boost.

"You know you're nothing like what I read about in the Weekly."

"Not too much of a disappointment, I hope?" Kris felt compelled to be closer to him even though only inches separated him. It wasn't close enough, not after their afternoon ride. In fact Kris wasn't sure what "close enough" meant anymore, or what he would do when he reached that mythical point.

"Kristopher-" Adam drew in his breath sharply.

"Hey guys, should we get goin'? Daniel's voice cut through the tension in the air like a barber's razor. "I think they're done with dinner, all I smell is smoke now..."

Kris scooted away from Adam, feeling strangely guilty and disappointed at the same time. Daniel had interrupted something, and Kris wished he could say what.

***

  
    Daniel pointed out the leader, who was already asleep, an empty bottle of whisky in his clenched fist.  One of the other men was curled up next to him, arm draped protectively over the bigger man. Kris thought they looked oddly like lovers. Maybe they were. Kris swallowed hard. The idea of killing thieving bandits hadn't seemed so bad. The idea of killing two people in love was a much more difficult prospect.  Especially when he just...

    He just what? Kris looked at Adam. Is that what this was, this feeling in his chest? At first he thought it might have been pure, animal lust - it had been a long time, a long, long time since he'd been in that proximity to another person before. It didn't matter that Adam was a man; the ride had been intimate on a level Kris had been sorely missing. But it was more than lust. He genuinely enjoyed the other man; his viewpoints were refreshing, his sense of humor unique; and his genius astounding.

Was it love? Kris looked at the slumbering couple. What that love? Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Daniel level his gun at the sleeping man.

"Do not lay down with a man as you would a woman. It is abomination." Daniel quoted, a scowl of disgust on his face, and pulled the trigger.

The watchman shouted, having nodded off at his post. He trained his pistol at Daniel, clearly visible now in the light of the fire.

Kris reacted instinctively, firing on the watchman, who dropped to the forest floor. Daniel took aim at the only remaining man, but Adam shouted

"No!"

    The man started to run away, but Adam pulled something from his coat. Kris didn't know what it was, but it was glowing blue. Adam took careful aim and fired a burst of light from the tip. The smell was acrid, but familiar. Devilstone.

The running man yelped and dropped to the ground with a resounding thud.

Daniel and Kris both looked at Adam, jaws as wide as the canyon in the rainbow rocks of the Badlands.

"Loss of consciousness due to an infusion of electro-magnetic energy and Devilstone, channeled through a single shot weapon. If only it could be manufactured on a larger scale, it would-"

"Change the world." Kris finished, smiling at him before he could embark on another of his utopian rants.

"Why'd you do it?" Daniel asked, face purple. "Why not kill him and have done with it. He stole from me. He stole from children. You know how it is."

"People can change. Maybe he just fell in with the wrong crowd. Why not make him a rehabilitation project, hmm? Seems like you know a bit about it." Adam's gaze was fierce. Kris had never seen him look like that before.

Daniel's gun was still pointing at the man.  "But he's a fucking- you saw him lying there with that guy. He’s a -"

"He's a WHAT you sonofabitch?" Kris yelped. " Wanna throw Bible verses around? How about something more recent? 'Judge not lest ye shall be judged.' 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' 'Faith, Hope, and Love and the greatest of these is Love.'"

Daniel dropped his gun, stunned.

"I saved your life." Kris continued, shaking in anger. "I killed three men so you could follow your dream. I did it because I thought you were a good person, I believe in your cause. But damn if I'm going to let you take a life because your heart is filled with hatred." A tear trickled down his face, followed by another, as he thought of the two men lying there, side by side. Yes they had stolen money, but Kris felt like they had taken more. He felt sick.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Arkansas." Daniel said, backing away from the unconscious man. "I was...I wasn't myself. I didn't mean no...I don't hate people. But the Bible says..."

"I don't give a damn. God gave you a good head on your shoulders. Put it to use. God gave you a heart. Search it, Reverend. Tell me what you find. But my heart tells me that love is never wrong."  The words fell out of his mouth, soft and tumbling like clothing hung out to dry. Golden, like a woman's hair in the sunlight.  Kris drew in his breath, sharply. He bent down beside the dead ringleader and closed the man's unmoving eyes.

"God." The Reverend said, and it was an entreaty more than a statement. It was almost a prayer. It was too much for the preacher. He pulled off the gun belt and flung it as far as he could into the darkness. Kris watched as he fell to his knees, mouth moving in silent admonishment. For guidance or forgiveness, Kris couldn't tell. But he swore he heard Daniel mumble “Never again.” It was good enough for Kris.

He stumbled away from the fire and the praying preacher, into the welcoming darkness. Where had these feelings come from? He had never liked when people used the Bible as an excuse to hate people. He had never seen it used as an excused to kill someone, at least not first hand. But never before had he reacted so strongly.

"Kristopher." A voice whispered from behind him, and Kris closed his eyes and turned towards it.

    Arms were around him, strong and sure. Kris buried his face into Adam's chest; feeling like the world around him had ceased to exist.

"Thank you." Adam mumbled into his hair. "For stopping Daniel. And for saying what you said. It meant... well, Kris it means a lot to some one like me."  Kris swore he felt Adam's lips press against his head, and his heart raced even faster than Kris thought possible. He looked up at Adam, waiting, but Adam continued speaking. "But where did that come from?"

"I don't know." Kris replied. "I just saw them lying there and in that instant they were just people. Just sleeping people. I heard what the Reverend said, and I know how it looked, but so what. I don't believe it's wrong. I don't think God would make people wrong. Even if they were bad people, I didn't want Gokey to kill him for the wrong reason. That doesn't make much sense, does it?" Kris pulled back a bit further for a moment, needing to search Adam's eyes.

"It makes perfect sense. I trust you, I trust your judgment. I trust your heart."

"I'm glad you didn't kill him." Kris mumbled.

"So am I." Adam said, fighting a grin. "Though I feel kind of silly ..."

"What?"

"I used the Ray on him because I wanted him alive for questioning." Adam admitted. "And you saved him because of a high-minded ideal of right and wrong."

"Oh." Kris managed to choke out a laugh. It sounded funny in his throat. "Well now I feel silly."

"Come here." Adam said, pulling him close again, holding him close where no one but the stars could bear witness.

**EPITAPH**

_    The hubbub this week is all about Daniel J. Gokey, the right reverend from Westport. A former bad-boy-turned-preacher-man, Gokey has spent the last few months scouring the country for donations for the Westport Children's Fund, a foundation aimed at helping the families of deceased mine workers. Trouble is, the optimistic preacher thought it would be a good idea to move the loot across the plains on the Trackless without a guard detail. Needless to say, the Trackless was robbed. No word on who the bad guys were - conflicting theories point to the Bass Mountain Boys or perhaps an inside job at Trackless Inc._

    Lucky for Gokey, and all those dirty-faced urchins, the robbery was witnessed by none other than Krissy the Kid and his faithful companion of late, the almost certainly mad Dr. Adam Lambert. They were gathering materials for Dr. Lambert's upcoming folly when Krissy sprang into action, slaying two of the gunmen before they could even see his cowboy hat peeking out over the prairie grasses. Tough to blame them for that.

    Rev. Gokey joined them on an elaborate chase through the wilderness, proving that even God needs a gun-hand sometimes. The heroes caught up with the bandits and battled for the loot. Did God guide the hand that shot the bandit leader? That's anyone's guess, but I know a whole bunch of children that will be remembering Krissy the Kid and friends in their evening prayers. Seems like the doctor's been a steadying influence on our renegade gunslinger - strange since the doctor's own sanity has been known to waver.

Well, that's all till next week folks! Till then keep your friends close and, if you live in Westport, keep Krissy the Kid closer.

  
The Snoop


	4. Turning Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris acts on his attraction to Dr. Lambert, but they are interrupted by a beautiful stranger in need of aid. A celebrity has been captured by a tribal band of creatures that inhabit the Badlands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover Art by KateKat1010, illustration by HaiWorld

** **   
****

**Prologue**

"Fuck." Megan swore, peering through the sights of her Colt 45 and not liking what she saw at all. They had her, that was sure enough. Megan could see the little traveling wagon she insisted on driving herself, with her name emblazoned on the side.

"Allison Iraheta: Songstress of the Weird West"

Megan shot towards one of the Hobblers, hitting it right between it's eyes. The pink-haired creature slumped into the dirt, but where it fell, another took its place in the wild ritual that would make Allison one of them. Make her forget everything she knew and instead stalk the fringes of the Badlands, looking for victims. Hobblers were like a plague. They had wiped out a few close-lying settlements already, turning former inhabitants into Hobblers. It was a horrible fate, one Megan was determined to keep from happening to her friend.

    Megan was a quick draw, but she knew when she was outgunned, even if her foes in this case didn't have guns. They had fangs, and claws, and the females could cause your body to erupt into flames with a gesture.

    It was only a day's ride back to Westport. She could ride for help. Hopefully, it wouldn't be to late. Megan saddled up, trying hard to ignore the chanting of the Hobblers, and Allison's screams for help. She spurred Barbie into a frantic gallop, kicking up dust tinged with Devilstone as she rode.

  
**  
The Tale**

“So how come you’re not married, pretty thing like you?” Lil asked, setting this morning’s tray of pancakes in front of Kris.

“Oh, well.” Kris said, helping himself to the maple syrup. Since Adam slept late and Scott woke early, he was getting used to chatting with Lil in the mornings. She always asked him probing questions, as if trying to figure something out. Kris didn’t mind, though, he liked her. It was nice to have someone ask questions about you for once. It was sort of like family. “I wanted to get married once.”

“What happened?” Lil asked, sitting down across from him. “She didn’t turn you down? Who would turn you down?”

Kris gulped. He didn’t like thinking about it.

“I had a gal when I was younger. Gosh, we couldn’t have been more than fifteen. The war was only over for a few years. Her daddy lost everything after the Yankees came., and eventually he packed up what remained and moved the family further west. Greater opportunity, I guess.”

“Didn’t you try and follow her?”

“Well, the thing was, my brother had gotten wounded in the war. He doesn’t move around so good, and mama was ill. I stayed by her side till she got better, but by then…” Kris stopped, getting choked up.

“She had found someone new?” Lil supplied.

“Naw. She wouldn’t have, she wasn’t like that. I got word that their wagon train had been attacked by bandits. They shot the men and most of the women. I don’t know what they did with her. As soon as I could I rode west, looking for the sons of bitches. But I never found her. I kept trying to hunt them down, and after they were all dead as far as I could reckon, well, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I figured I was good at bounty hunting, so I did that. Problem with that is that eventually you’re gonna wind up getting the wrong guy.”

“Oh, Kris.” She said, reaching across the table for his hand. Kris winced. The skin on his hand was an angry red, and he could barely move it without pain.

“I mean, the guy I shot was still a no good bastard, wanted in a different county, but it got me thinking. If I could make a mistake once, I could make one again. Settled for work as a ranch hand a few times. It was nice, having a place to stay, even if it was only for a few months. Then I got Dr. Lambert’s offer and here I am.” Kris paused. “So you see, not much time for women folk.”

“You think she’s still out there, somewhere, waiting for you?” Lil asked, and Kris winced.

“I’m sure she’s alive. Just a feeling. But after all this time… Gosh, I hope she found happiness. I wouldn’t want her to have waited for me. Hell, I’ve had a lonely enough life without thinking about her waitin’ on me. We were so young…” Kris remembered how losing her had felt, how the love in his heart had consolidated into a tight ball of lead. It had been easier to keep fighting, to keep rounding up criminals 'cause it was the right thing to do. The only thing he knew how to do. Easier to keep moving, so he never got attached again.

He was done with that life.

“Besides, now I’m here. You aren’t tryin’ to marry me off like some old maid, are you Mamma Lil?”

She laughed. “Something tells me I’d be in big trouble with the Doc if I did that. He’s taken a real shine to you.”

“Yeah.” Kris felt his cheeks get warm, remembering how tightly Adam had hugged him, how he had pressed his lips to the top of Kris’s head, setting his every nerve aflame. “Well he’s a great guy. One of the best people I’ve known.”

“And so handsome.” Lil offered, grinning. There was no fighting off a full-fledged blush now. He grinned at her, biting his lip and lowering his eyes a moment before answering. “Sure.”

She just laughed and cleared his plate, freeing him to head up to the lab.

***

  
"Ow!" Kris said, pulling his hand away from Dr. Lambert, who had been pressing against the red-ink vines that ran over Kris's hand and up his palm.

"Did that hurt?" Adam asked levelly, meeting Kris's eyes. Kris had hopped up on one of the lab tables, so for once they were eye-to-eye.

"What do you think?" Kris pouted, but let Adam coat his hand in a blue powder.

"Testy, Kristopher. Did you have bad dreams?" Adam tilted his head, and Kris caught his breath. Adam was remarkable; he could always tell what Kris was thinking.

"Yeah. Well, not bad, really. Just thinking things out, I guess." Kris had laid awake all night, reliving the past few weeks to try and figure out how he was feeling. Each time he had himself almost convinced that his feelings for Adam were just platonic, he would remember how much his body had ached for proximity. How his pulse had raced as Adam had held him out of sight from where Daniel Gokey was rethinking his stance on love, just as his own views had been re-written in the few short weeks he had known the doctor.

"Not something you want to talk about?" Adam prompted. "You said a lot of things last night. It seemed like there might be something else you were trying to say..."

"Is this supposed to be working?" Kris interrupted, fighting a furious blush and waving his hand in Adam's face. "Cause it still hurts like a bitch, and I can't really think of anything else."

"Oh! Sorry, Kris." Adam stammered, grabbing Kris's arm again. "No, that won't work on its own, of course. I need to set it on fire."

"WHAT?" Kris yanked his arm away from Adam for the second time.

"You'll be fine!" Adam assured. "Theoretically, the powdered Devilstone will react with the oil from the Redfire plant - remember how I was telling you it produces a blue light when combined with Devilstone and then burned? Well the reaction will be over so quickly we shouldn't even need this."

Adam put a huge bucket of water on the table next to Kris.

"Theoretically?" Kris stammered. "You are going to light me on fire based on a theory."

"Don't be stupid, Kristopher. I've tested it on inorganic surfaces already. The reaction only lasts a few seconds. That's the problem I've been having with the mine lights, the blue flash only lasts a second and that isn't long enough to do anyone good. If I could only -"

"ADAM! Back to my arm." Kris snapped his fingers, wincing at the pain caused by the sudden movement. "But my arm is organic...will that effect the, uh, reaction?"

"I don't think so. And if it does, well, that's what the water's for." Adam blinked. "It's really quite simple, Kristopher."

Kris tried to calm himself, letting Adam take his hand again.

"Just do it." He said, trying to reassure himself that everything would be ok. He tried not to remember Adam's comment about having blown up his last lab

"Trust me, Kris. Everything will be alright. Just listen to my voice."

    Kris nodded, fighting the urge to pull away. He squinched his eyes shut tight, listening to the sound of Adam’s flintstriker. It was an amazing device, a small, handheld contraption that would emit a small flame.

"It's ok, Kristopher. It might sting a bit but I promise..." Adam's voice was soothing, even if he sounded a bit unsure of what he was saying. Kris focused on the fact that there was a huge bucket of water right next to him -

    All of a sudden he heard a whooshing sound and felt a gust of heat. His eyes flew open and all he could see was blue, blue, blue. It didn't hurt, but lasted longer than the instant Adam promised. The intense blue light began to fade and Kris could see Adam's surprised and fascinated reaction. Adam tugged Kris's hand towards the water, but Kris resisted, wanting to see what happened next.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Adam said, snapping out of his reverie. Kris shook his head, memorized by the fading blue light surrounding Adam's enraptured expression. The flames were gone now, and Kris's entire arm was covered with the shimmery blue aftermath.

"What just happened?" Kris asked, moving his hand experimentally. The pain was gone completely.

"The salt from your skin must have prolonged the chemical reaction." Adam theorized. "You were very brave." He tapped Kris on the nose, leaving behind a smudge of blue.

"S'nothing. Just lighting my arm on fire. You know, anything for science." Kris mumbled and lowered his head. Now that the pain in his arm was gone, he was very aware of Adam's proximity. He stood between Kris's legs, which hung from the edge of the lab table and didn't quite touch the floor. There was a warmth crawling over Kris's skin. "So now you can figure out that thing with the mine lights."

"The mine lights, yeah.” Adam was distracted, inspecting Kris’s arm. “Does your arm still hurt? It worked, right?" Adam pressed his hand experimentally, and Kris inhaled sharply.

"Yeah, it worked." He was biting back his words, trying to decide what to do about the surge of want that was rising in his chest. Hell, he didn't even know if Adam preferred men - Adam had all but said it, and there were certainly the odd comment from Scott or Mama Lil here or there, but no definitive answer on what Adam might do if Kris reached out and touched his face. He tilted his head up and held Adam's gaze. He didn't really need to say it. It was written there, plain as the text in the Badlands Bestiary.

Kris lifted his hand to Adam's face and traced his jaw line, leaving a trail of blue in his wake.

"Thanks for fixing me." Kris offered a shy smile. Adam's face brightened, and Kris slid his palm up, cupping Adam's cheek. Kris slid his other arm around Adam’s waist and pressed against his back.

"What are you doing to me, Kristopher?" Adam's words were a hushed whisper, and Kris sighed, too far gone to answer. Half of Adam's face was blue, and Kris leaned in, silently praying that Adam wouldn't back away. His prayers were answered as Adam closed the gap and met his lips.

 

 

***

  
"What the hell happened to you two?" Scott was out in the yard, brushing out burrs from Chocolate's mane. "It looks like you blew up a blue paint factory, Lambert."

"Ha,Ha. For your information I just cured Kris of his little problem."

"Oh, I see." Scott said, widening his eyes and tuning back towards Chocolate."

"With the Redfire plant." Adam finished

  
"And he figured out the Mine-light issue. The reaction should be more stable now." Kris jumped in, eager to distract Scott from their obviously disheveled appearances.

"Gunslinger turned Lab Assistant? Who knew Kris was so multi-talented? Next thing you know I'll be a sharpshooter." Scott clucked, patting Chocolate on his rear. The gelding took off, prancing merrily in the yard.

  
"Aww Scott, don't be jealous, it was an accident. I didn't mean to be a Lab Assistant, he just wanted to set my arm on fire and it kind of just happened." Kris jokingly pleaded. He could tell that Scott wasn't really hurt about missing the scientific discovery.

"You say that now but I know him. Before you know it he's gonna have you in that lab, morning, noon, and night doing all sorts of crazy- Adam?" Scott looked over to Adam, who was shaking in silent laughter.

"Adam?" Scott asked again, amused. Adam could clearly no longer contain his laughter. Kris watched as his shoulders shook, momentarily confused as to why what he could be laughing at. He rethought the conversation, looked at the knowing expression on Scott's face, and it hit him.

He could feel the color rising in his cheeks. His blue hand prints were all over the front of Adam's shirt, and a long blue streak ran from the hip of Adam's gray pants back towards the rear center seam from when Kris had grabbed Adam and pulled him closer. Even Adam's black hair had a blue cast in the sunlight, and Kris remembered running his hands though the thick waves of it. Kris looked back to Scott, who only chuckled and slapped Kris on the back.

  
"Be good." He heard Scott grumble protectively into Adam’s ear as he made his way back to the barn.

    Adam just shook his head and walked towards the house, still laughing, leaving Kris to stand in the center of the field. A slow grin crept across his face as he watched Dr. Lambert make his way back towards the house, telling blue handprints stamped across his back and lower. It's good, he decided, love curling up in his chest like a house cat in the sun. This feeling is good.

  
"Excuse me?" A woman's voice startled Kris out of his reverie. He turned sharply to face her. She was a little taller than him, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Kris didn't think she even looked real; more like a painting of what a woman was supposed to look like. But instead of a dress, she wore...Kris looked her up and down. She was wearing man's clothing. Tight black chaps clung to her tan trousers, which were buckled with a bright silver buckle. Her plaid top was tucked beneath a matching black vest, and setting off her yellow hair was a black cowboy hat. "Um, are you the one they call Arkansas?"

"Ma'am." Kris moved his hand to tip his hat just as he realized he wasn't wearing one. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, miss..."

"Friends call me Megan Joy." She said, holding out her hand. Kris took it after a moment's hesitation. She was unlike any woman he'd ever seen. "But there's not much time for formalities. Fightin' Mac told me I could find you here, said you and the Doc would be the folks to ask for help."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. What do you need?" Kris motioned with her to follow him towards the house.

"Please, Mr. Arkansas, just...just get the Doc and come with me. Tell him that the Hobblers have got a girl and if we don't hurry she'll be one of them before long."

"Ok, Miss. Just, um, Just wait here." Kris had no idea what she could be talking about, but had no doubt Adam would know. "By the way, you've got blue all over you." Megan called after him as he ran towards the house. Kris shook his head and stifled a laugh.

***

  
After hastily packing his own bag, Kris entered Adam's room via their shared bathroom.

  
"Read this." Adam said, thrusting the Badlands Bestiary already open into Kris's hands. He proceeded to start shoving seemingly random components into his traveling bag, mumbling to himself about possible reactions and natural defense mechanisms. Kris started looking at the picture.

"Read it ALOUD." Adam said after a few moments. "I need to hear it as I'm packing."

"Oh, Ok." Kris said, clearing his throat. He held the page open, noticing that there was still blue powder beneath one of his fingernails. He hadn't had time to wash up properly. Neither had Adam. There were still blue streaks in his hair though his face and clothing were clean.

"Hobbler.

"A bipedal humanoid with shimmering blue skin and reddish-pink hair, the Hobbler is a swarming communal beast with unique abilities. Their skin is very thick around the torso, making standard bullets ineffective with all but a direct headshot, as the protective skin is thinner covering the skull. The females of the species can ignite any combustible surface upon touch as they excrete a highly volatile serum from their fingertips.”

"Perhaps the most frightening aspect of these creatures is that Hobbers are created, not born. Upon taking a human captive, a male Hobbler will bite the unfortunate soul on the neck, injecting him or her with a toxic substance that alters the human's biochemistry. Within a week the human will start exhibiting the appearance of a Hobbler, the coloring of the hair follicles being the first noticeable difference. After two weeks, the human will begin to lose their human abilities to speak and reason. No one is sure of the humano-hobbler retains their human memory.

"Should a friend or loved one fall prey to the Hobblers, proceed with extreme caution before attempting a rescue. Most Hobbler communities number in the hundreds. Not only do the females possess the flame-touch, all Hobblers are extremely bright and have learned to use rudimentary weapons such as clubs or projectiles."

Kris bit his lip and studied the picture again. The things looked horrifying, but certainly close to human. He looked up at Adam, who was now dressed...not unlike Miss Megan joy. Kris swallowed hard. The leather chaps he wore hugged his tall frame, but instead of a vest like Mega

n’s, he wore a long black suede duster.

"You look..." He searched for an adjective, running his tongue along his lip, searching for a word. Most of the words Kris knew for beautiful were meant for girls, and they all fell short of describing Adam.

"Saddle up, cowboy." Adam interrupted him with a grin. "We've got a long ride ahead of us."

***

  
    The sun hung low in the sky when the three stopped riding. Adam had pitched a hasty, low slung canvas tent next to Megan's while Kris had gotten the fire going.

"So. Tell me who we're going to save." Adam said, leaning against a slab of rock. Kris resisted the urge to spread out alongside him, and instead had relaxed against a fallen tree.

"Allison Iraheta. You know her?" Megan explained, kicking off her boots. It was a chilly night, the terrain north of the badlands was open and rocky and susceptible to gusty winds. At the mention of the name, Kris sat bolt upright.

"Seriously. Allison Iraheta. The singer." Kris had seen her perform in various saloons over the years. He looked at Adam to see if Adam knew her, but Adam had his distant, thinking expression on.

  
"Yeah. I saw her wagon. Crazy, hey? I was out in these parts anyway; there's a nice bounty up on the Spiney the Creeper and word had it he was hiding out around here. So I'm riding along and all of a sudden I hear these shrieks. And Allison, well, you'd know her voice anywhere. Anyway, I tried to take them out myself, but it was thick in there. We're going to need a plan."

"I've been thinking about that." Adam said, coming back down to earth from whatever constellation he had been wandering through. "I brought a few things with me.” He gestured to the card he had hitched behind Glamour. “Depending on our terrain, I am hoping to create a sort of ... arcing field." Adam gestured with his hands. "If I can tap into a Devilstone vein, I'll be able to use that energy and channel it from pylon to pylon." He gave up gesturing and began drawing with a stick in the loose dirt. "If I can get the pylons to vibrate at an appropriate frequency, it will create a sound barrier. The sound will be too high for us to hear, but should be a deafening, incapacitating sound for the Hobblers."

"That sounds brilliant. At least it would if I knew what the hell half those words meant." Megan took a swig from an open bottle of whiskey. Kris was more than a little in awe of her by now. In his time riding the west, he had only seen one other female bounty hunter, and she still wore skirts and acted like a lady; more of a spy than a gunslinger. She held the bottle over to him and he took it with a smile.

"I've learned just to go with it. His ideas usually work out." Kris poured a bit of the burning liquid down his throat and passed the bottle to Adam.

"That so?"

"Yeah. He's pretty incredible."

"Kristopher, you're making me blush." Adam protested, taking a second quick pull of the whiskey before handing it back to Kris.

"Just sayin' the truth. I've ridden the west a long while and never met anyone like you, Doc. You neither, Miss Joy."

"Well, here's to keeping strange company." Megan took the bottle back fro Kris and drained it in one sustained gulp. "Let's just hope we make it in time. I'm gonna hit the hay. Doc. Arkansas." She tugged on the tip of her hat and slid into her tent.

    Kris and Adam sat in silence for awhile. Kris snuck surreptitious glances at Adam in between looking up at the stars, and suspected Adam was doing the same. They hadn't really talked about what happened in the laboratory. They had left in such haste that there wasn't even time should they have wanted to discuss. Kris couldn't pretend he wasn't confused. While there had been the occasional cowboy that warranted a second glance, he had never felt compelled to act on that attraction. No, all his lovers had been female, and none had ever made him feel the way Adam had with just a kiss. Well, it had been more than a kiss, Kris admitted. It had been several. He closed his eyes and imagined it, shivering with the memory of Adam's hands on his back, pulling him close.

"Why don't you scoot on over?" Adam's voice was pitched soft and low, and he raised his arm to let Kris in close next to him. Kris edged next to him, double checking that they couldn't be seen if Megan happened to wake up. He laid his head in the crook of Adam's shoulder, sighing in contentment as the Doctor lowered his arm around Kris's waist.

"That's better." Adam murmured, sending a soft thrill of anticipation down his spine. "Gonna tell me what this morning was all about, Kristopher? You didn't strike me as, well, of having my proclivities. Not that I advertise. Or that I’m complaining. But if you wanted to make your intentions clear, I’d be most grateful."

"Not sure what my proclivities have to do with it. It's just you. I wish I could explain. Do you ever stop to think - well, take Megan. She woulda made the perfect man except that god blessed her with just about the prettiest face and feminine form a guy could dream of on a woman. Then there's you. And you’re not feminine by any stretch of the imagination, but there's something about you that." Kris hesitated. "Calls me close." He finished, lowering his voice in embarrassment. "We're all just people. I've been alone long enough to know that this, for me, is rare. And I won't pass it on by because it's different. I just feel it, and I hope you feel it too." He shyly reached over for Adam's hand and wove their fingers together.

"Kris." Adam said after a moment, nuzzling Kris's hair. "I feel it. Believe me. I just can't believe my luck."

"Our luck.” Kris corrected. “It’s like Gokey was saying. God works in mysterious ways."

“Do me a favor, Kristopher. Don’t ever bring up Reverend Gokey right before I’m about to kiss you.

“Duly noted” Kris agreed, and tilted his head back, allowing Adam to silence them both for a long spell.

***

  
Adam bent low over the last pylon, wrapping the thin wire around the connecting post.

"Drive it in, Kristopher." He called as he straightened, hair blowing madly in the wind.

Kris nodded and swung the hammer over his shoulder onto the grounding post. Adam had found a thick vein of the blue-gray Devilstone that had just started to crack the surface and pronounced it perfect. Adam jogged over and connected the main wire to the post. The propellers on the pylons began to turn, and the main wire turned a bright, shimmering blue and crackled, as if alive. It reminded Kris of the color his arm had turned after Adam had started it on fire. Maybe the wire has Redfire extract in it, Kris thought.

"How does it look up there?" Adam called to Megan who had been keeping watch.

"Nothing yet." She called back, eyeing three Hobblers near the cave entrance who were cocking their heads as if hearing a funny sound.

"Damn. It needs more energy." Adam looked from the humming blue wire to the rich vein of Devilstone and was seemingly struck with inspiration. He produced a small mechanism from his pocket - and Kris recognized it as his flintstriker.

"ADAM NO!" Kris shouted, but it was too late. Adam bent over and clicked the flintstriker against the ground, igniting the Devilstone. Kris sprinted towards Adam with all his might and launched himself at the scientist. Their bodies hit the ground just as the pylons exploded. Kris screamed, his head giving a sudden throb though he hadn't hit it on anything. Thinking fast and fighting his self preservation instinct, he spread himself as much as possible, trying to shield Adam from any of the flaming debris or shards of metal that came raining down. He felt a few small pieces land on his back and thanked God for the protective leather vest he wore.

"Kris." Adam mouthed silently, tenderness in his eyes before they widened with fear. Kris found himself suddenly beneath Adam as they rolled left, out of the way of one of the spinning propellers that had come loose in the explosion.

Adam mouthed something at him again and arched his eyebrow wickedly before standing up and offering Kris his hand.

"Thanks" Kris said, then froze. His voice was gone. Come to think of it, the explosion itself had been soundless. He turned to Adam in a panic.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" He mouthed, exaggerating his words so that Adam could understand.

"THOUGHT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. SORRY. TEMPORARY." Adam mouthed back, or at least Kris thought that was what he meant.

"MEGAN?" Kris said, pointing up the rocky escarpment where she had been perched. Kris couldn't see her black hat from behind the rocks anymore.

"I'LL GO. YOU GET ALLISON. WILL FOLLOW." Adam gestured toward the cave. Kris turned around and looked at its ominous mouth. He took a step, but Adam pulled on his shoulder, spinning him around.

Adam's mouth was on his, and Kris lost himself momentarily in this silent world.

"BE SAFE." Adam said, kissing him one last time before setting out towards where Megan had been.  
   
    Adam had been correct about the sound. It had certainly knocked out the Hobblers on the outside of the cave. He hoped it had done as well on the inside. He took a deep breath and headed through the entrance.

The scene on the other side was surreal. Hobblers were everywhere, all slumped over with their eyes open. Kris wondered if they were dead, but not enough to stop and check. Temporary, this is temporary. Kris thought to himself as he stepped over their bodies. It was disorienting, moving without any sound at all. His footsteps should be echoing. He headed down what he assumed was the main passageway based on the number of unconscious Hobblers in the path. The tunnel soon opened up into a large cavern. He gasped reflexively. There were hundreds of them, all passed out. The effect was harrowing. Pale blue skin and pink hair were everywhere he looked, making the dark cavern seem almost festive, like a strange, soundless carnival.

    He scanned the scene, wondering where to turn next, when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. He drew his pistol and trained his eye on the furry mass of pink hair that was shaking slightly. He called "Hold Still" out of habit, knowing that even if the Hobbler could hear him it probably wouldn't understand. He approached it slowly, wishing there was more light in the cavern. The pale orange glow from a fire wasn't very much light to see by, and Kris stumbled several times on rocks as he progressed towards the figure.

    It was in a cage. Kris blinked a few times, and then by providence the creature turned around. It wasn't a hobbler at all. It was a girl. It was Allison. Even with the bizarre hair color, Kris would have recognized her distinct face anywhere. She was huddled in the corner, completely nude except for a threadbare loin cloth. Allison was crying, and if he could hear them Kris was sure they would have been loud wails for help. He held his finger to his lips and ran towards the cage. There was no telling how long the Hobblers would be unconscious for, and Kris didn't want anything helping them back up.

The cage was locked, and Kris searched around a moment for a key. Allison pointed towards the evident guard, a huge male Hobbler who had passed out near the fire. Kris ripped the key off the monster's loincloth and hurried to unlock it. She flew out of the cage and threw her arms around him, babbling what Kris thought was "thank you, thank you, thank you."

Kris flushed and removed his vest, offering it to Allison, who grabbed it and quickly put it on.

"Thank you." She mouthed again. "Allison." She pointed to herself and Kris nodded, trying to convey that he knew who she was. He motioned towards the tunnel, tugging on her arm. There would be time for introductions later, when they could hear and weren't surrounded by hundreds of creatures.

    Halfway up the tunnel, they ran into Adam and Megan. Kris waved at the pair. Megan had a scrape on her head, which Adam had bandaged already. Adam was holding a torch, and Kris could see the relief that crossed his face. Adam took a long look at Allison before motioning her to follow Megan out of the cave. Allison looked horrified. She waved her hands, trying to get them to follow, but Adam mouthed something at her. Kris couldn't quite make it out in the light. She still shook her head, but consented to have Megan take her out of the cave.

Kris cocked an eyebrow at Adam as if to ask what they needed to do. Adam tugged on his sleeve, and the two went back down the path to the main cavern. Adam scanned the cave, searching for something. He pointed to a very small Hobbler, clinging to a larger female Hobbler. Kris was horrified. Clearly, that Hobbler had once been a human toddler.

    Adam pointed to Allison's now-empty cage, and Kris understood. Adam wanted a sample. He had no idea what for, but didn't stop to question. They couldn't have much more time before the veil of silence fell and the Hobblers came to. He ran to the cage, carrying it over to where Adam was carefully extracting the baby Hobbler from its "mother." He cradled it like a child, placing him in the cage with a hint of regret on his face. Kris turned the key and looked at Adam, who motioned towards the tunnel. Kris made Adam go first, checking over his shoulder for any sign of movement; ears straining to hear anything.  They made it to the entrance before Kris heard it; a roar of anger answered by a hundred others in chorus. The Hobblers near them hadn't woken yet - Kris supposed that the Hobbler's furthest from the sound blast would be the first to wake up.

"Run!" He screamed to Adam, hoping Adam's hearing was coming back as well. Kris drew both pistols and followed him, praying they had enough time to make their getaway. Once Adam was safely out of the cave, Kris turned around. They were being followed. He started counting them but decided it was safer to count them with bullets instead. Three fell before he crossed the threshold of the cave. Remembering the three on guard, he spun around just in time to see them stirring and grabbing a hold of their clubs. Kris shot again, one, two, three...he missed the third and had to waste another bullet. Only 5 shots left.

    He sprinted, keeping Adam in his sights. Allison was seated just in front of Megan and Adam was almost to the horses. Kris turned again and fired off five shots, adding to the pile of Hobbler bodies that were now blocking the cave entrance. Still they came, and Kris kept running. Megan and Allison were already riding now, but Adam was mounted and had pulled the strange gun he had used on the bandit two nights ago. He waited for Kris to mount, firing the gun's single shot at the closest Hobbler. Kris watched over his shoulder as the creature fell to the ground, stunned but not dead, and made eye contact with Adam, who quirked his mouth in a sideways grin.

"Let's ride." He said, spurring Glamour beneath him. Conway responded too, not even needing Kris to tell her to get going. The two men tore across the open sand side by side, enjoying the sound of their horses’ hooves and the frustrated howls of the Hobblers behind them.

***

"You think she's gonna be alright?" Kris asked Scott, who adjusted his goggles and peered closely at Allison. Adam had insisted that she come back to the Laboratory for testing, in spite of her protestations that she felt fine. However, Kris looked at her shock pink hair and the slight blue cast of her skin and agreed with Adam. Allison hadn't wanted to argue with her savior, so she had consented to "a few tests."

  
    Midway through Adam's standard battery of blood pressure, pupil dilation, and reflexes, Allison had slumped backwards onto the table, shaking violently. Adam ran for his medicine chest and pulled out a vial. He injected her arm with the substance as Scott held her down. In a few moments her body was still. Her skin had taken on a deeper shade of blue after the tremor, and Adam's countenance was cloudy and troubled.

"I need a few moments." Adam had said, retreating into the lab office. "Keep her still, and Scott...use restraints if she shows any signs of movement."

Not wanting to take the chance, Scott had strapped her into the table anyway, figuring it was easier while she was lying still.

"I am sure the Doctor will think of something to reverse the transformation." Scott said, brushing the pink hair out of her face. "He always does."

    Kris thought back to yesterday morning and how his arm had lit up like fireworks. How the pain had dissolved, and how in that moment Kris's utter awe of him had been cemented. If anyone could save Allison, it was Adam. Leaving Scott to take care of Allison, Kris sank against the door to Adam's study, waiting for another blinding flash of Adam's genius.

  
**  
EPITAPH**

  
_    Lots of news this week, Weird West Readers. First of all, a follow up on the new Westport Children's Fund, a foundation started by Rev. Gokey. We've heard that the foundation has accepted a large donation from none other than Dr. Adam Lambert, inventor of the new Bluefire light. He doesn't reveal his formula, but folks; this is something that has to be seen to be believed. The lights come in clear glass cylinders, and when twisted, glow a brilliant blue. His intention is for these lights to be used to increase mine safety. Having sold the pattern to a factory out East, I predict that the Bluefire light will soon be lighting much more than mines._

    Speaking of Dr. Lambert, we had an exclusive interview with a very pretty lady who let us in on the latest adventures of Dr. Lambert and Mister Arkansas himself. Apparently, a young woman had been kidnapped by Hobblers. My source tells me that Dr. Lambert and Arkansas rode to her rescue, killing the entire Hobbler colony with explosions that rendered everyone in a ten mile radius deaf and dumb for three hours!

    No word on what sort of black magic Dr. Lambert conjured to produce his explosions, but you can be sure that the minute I hear more about it, you'll be the first to know. The half-hobbler girl is supposedly up at the Lambert Lab under close watch. If you're the praying type, I'd send a few her way. This reporter has never heard of a cure.

Till next week,

The Snoop


	5. Among The Fragments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Matty the Mute gets kidnapped, The local lawman asks for Kris to help him investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Bamberrific for the beta. Cover by KateKat1010

**   
**

**Prologue:**

 

"Mornin', Sherriff"

    Michael woke with a start, yelping as the chair he was sleeping on tipped backwards and crashed to the floor. It wasn't morning. It was the middle of the night. From underneath his desk he could see a single pair of boots, spurs glimmering in the moonlight. Michael hurried to right himself and put his hat back on.

"Folks call me Mac." Michael said, holding out his hand. "How can I be of service?"

The man chuckled, a low threatening sound that made the hairs on the back of Mac's neck stick up like heckles.

"I got something' of yorn, and I ain't givin’ it back. You folks is gon’ have to come git it." The man's voice was thick, his accent marking him as a Texas man like Mac himself but apparently this man's momma hadn't taught him any manners.

"I see. I don't suppose you are gonna offer any proof. Would hate to send somebody off on a fool's errand." Michael said, fingers itching themselves into fists. If this fella got any more uppity, Michael would show him exactly why he was called Fighin' Mac.

"You close to your townsfolk, Sherriff?"

"I know every man, woman, and child in this community." Mac boasted, feeling more than a little proud. He considered everyone in Westport a member of his family. Granted, some of them could be unruly, and every family has its black sheep and strange uncles, but on the whole most of them were good people.

"Then I suppose you'll recognize this."

    The visitor threw a burlap sack down on the desk. It landed lightly. A little nervous, Mac took the bag and peered inside.

"Shit." He cursed, and bit his lip. He hated cursing, even when it was appropriate.

"Yeah, that's right. You've got three days, Sherriff. I reckon you'll need thirty thousand dollars or thirty thousand bullets."

"Thirty thousand?" Mac said, sitting down fast. It was a fortune. He only knew one Westport citizen with that amount of money, but money wasn't the issue. If he paid up the ransom, he had no doubt that more folk would start getting kidnapped. No, a problem like this had to be dealt head on. Mac wouldn't take the coward's route.

"Or you could rustle up your little errand boy-" The man spat chew right onto the floor, ignoring the spittoon in the corner "-Krissy the Kid and we'll have ourselves a grand old time. Your call.

"Where should we ride?"

"There's a small camp south of The Crater."

"The Crater? That's Howler land."

The visitor laughed again.

"We have an ... understanding. I'm sure if you ask nice, they'll let you through. Or you could just ride around. Course you've got nothing but The Fragments to the east, and riding to the West would take you a week." The man smiled a wicked grin, revealing several gold teeth.

"Or I could kill you now." Mac snarled.

"Oh, now that wouldn't be to wise. Unless of course you want your pal Matty to get his old nickname back. Permanently."

"I'll be there." Mac said, gripping the edges of his desk so hard his knuckles shone white in the dim light.

"Bring The Kid. It'll be a grand reunion.

"Reunion?" Asked Mac, but the stranger was already leaving.

"Shit." Mac swore again, and pulled the contents of the bag out onto his desk. It was a little straw fedora, wrapped round with a red ribbon. It belonged unmistakably to Matt Giraud - once called Matty the Mute.

 

 

**The Tale**

 

    For the fourth night in a row, Kris lay awake, staring down through the bathroom into the open door to Adam's room. For the fourth night in a row, that room was empty. The man had been working himself to the point of exhaustion every night. Last night Kris had tried to get him to sleep. He had succeeded in getting him to his bedroom, but once there Adam only paced back and forth for the balance of the night. He was in the lab again before the sun rose.

    Kris got out of bed and moved to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. Though Adam had told him he would be perfectly safe in the lab, Kris still worried. What sort of hired gun slept while his employer worked away? And what sort of...Kris gulped and searched for a proper noun... well whatever he was to Adam, he should be making sure Adam was well-rested.  His eyes fell on the bathing tub and inspiration struck. Kris grinned. Adam wasn't the only genius around here. Now there's an idea, he thought to himself, feeling a flutter of excitement in his chest. His smile broadened as that flutter traveled lower. A brilliant idea. He pulled on some clothes and made a few preparations before setting out to the lab.

***

    Adam was so focused on the slate he didn't seem to notice Kris enter the small Lab office. Kris walked quietly, not sneaking per se, but not announcing his presence either. He placed his hands on Adam's hips and mumbled

"Just me " when he felt Adam tense beneath his hands. "Don't be scared."

    Adam relaxed instantly. "I'm not scared." He turned around to face Kris, and Kris moved closer as Adam's arms fell around his shoulders. "Just exhausted. And frustrated. And I hate mathematics."

"Aw, come on. You're brilliant at figures, just like everything else."

"Just because I'm good at it doesn't mean I like it. This formula has to work. She's...she's getting worse." Adam's face crumbled, looking as if he might cry. He didn't though, and Kris was relieved. He was worried over Adam enough without him crying.

"You need to take care of yourself." Kris asserted. "You stay awake much longer and you're going to make mistakes. Start hallucinating. Then The Snoop will be running stories about Mad Doctor Lambert again and I'll have to find him and teach him the meaning of crazy. You don't want that."

"I guess not. But I'm so close. It's right there, just beyond me. I -

"You need to relax. It'll come to you." Kris's voice was soft and steady, and he almost chuckled when he realized it was the same voice he used on skittish horses. Really, there wasn't too much difference between a prideful colt and the unsteady man in his arms.

"I can't relax. How can I relax when - oh." Adam's protestations fell into a sigh as Kris leaned towards his neck, pressing kisses just under his earlobe.

"Kristopher...my math."

"Shhh." Kris hushed him. "It'll still be there in the morning, but you'll feel good enough to figure it out. Come with me." Kris pulled Adam's chin down and kissed him chastely on the lips, pulling back as soon as Adam started to respond. "Come with me." He repeated, letting his right slide down Adam's side as he reached up for one of Adam's hands with his left.

    Adam took one last look at the chalkboard before stepping away from it.

"Fuck." He swore, but there was a smile on his face as he followed Kris out into the muggy August midnight.

***

"What's this?" Adam asked as Kris led him into their shared bathroom. "I thought you were taking me to your bed." Kris handed him a warm mug of brandy, from which Adam sipped.

"Patience is a virtue, Dr. Lambert." Kris teased. "And honestly, you smell like a Hobbler."

"Do not!" Adam protested. Kris just laughed and pulled him into a kiss, his fingers making fast work of Adam's button down shirt.  Kris smiled into the kiss as Adam slammed the mug down on the counter. The bathing tub was already full of steaming hot water, and Kris could feel himself starting to sweat. He moved his mouth lower, to Adam's throat, and his hands followed suit, unclipping the suspenders and pushing the waistband of Adam's trousers till they lay in a pool at his feet. Kris stepped back to admire his handiwork while Adam undid the buttons to his linen smalls. The one piece garment soon fell away, and Kris' breath caught in his throat.

    Adam cut an intimidating figure with his clothes on, and with them off Kris lost some of the swagger and confidence he had used to lure the doctor away from his work. Adam held out his hand, and Kris took it, allowing himself to be pulled in close again.

"So serious, Kristopher." Adam nipped in his ear. "Were you hoping I'd taken the Change elixir? Forget that those lips you've been lavishing so much attention on lately belong to another man?"

    Kris shook his head fast, feeling his stomach drop out. That wasn't it at all. He tipped his head back and looked Adam square in the eyes.

"Not for a moment. Not either of those things. You just stole my words from me, that's all. Next to another sunrise, that's the sight I'll always want to see most."

    Adam was still and silent for a moment, and when it breathed at last it was a long, gasping sigh.

"God, Kristopher, that mouth of yours." Adam murmured into his hair, tugging the short strands to bring Kris's mouth closer. They kissed once before Kris pulled away.

"Into the tub with you, Dr. Lambert." Kris said, and began rolling up his sleeves. "Judging by the looks of things I've got a whole lot of work to do."

    The hot water felt wonderful on his skin, but not nearly as good as the sensation of watching Adam, head tilted back against the rim of the tub, mouth open in stunned satisfaction, as Kris moved his hand beneath the water. The quiet sound of motion was sweet to his ears, but not nearly as sweet as the sound of Adam's ragged breath falling from him in an ever accelerating rush as Kris chased the tension and weariness from Adam's body the best way he knew how.

***

"Kris! Wake up. Sherriff’s here to see you." The voice on the other side of his door sounded urgent, but Kris couldn't bear the thought of unwinding his limbs from Adam's. They lay in a tangled mess of still-damp sheets, as there hadn't really been time to dry off. Kris smiled at the memory of Adam pulling him into the tub, clothes and all. The memory carried him back to sleep, and he snuggled deeper into the crook of Adam's neck, hips shifting involuntarily as the morning itch rushed through his veins.

"Arkansas. God damn it, I'll come in there."

    The sound of his door opening made Kris jump up and pull a sheet over himself to hide his nudity. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes a few times to see Scott standing in the middle of his room, goggles perched on the top of his head.

Adam groaned and tugged the sheet back.

"M' cold Kristopher." He mumbled, still fast asleep.

"Mornin' Kris." Scott said, covering a laugh. Something tells me I'm awfully glad I put my goggles up before coming in here."

"Uh. Ummmmorning." Kris stammered, trying to figure out how to explain Adam's presence in his room. He gave up after a moment, dismissing each excuse as absurd. Scott obviously knew what was going on, and it clearly didn't bother him. "Who did you say was here?"

"Fightin' Mac Sarver. The law. He's in the parlor with Lil fawning all over him. She's already fed him your pancakes since you ... decided to have a little lie in."

"I'll be right there. Just let me get dres- just tell him I'll be right with him."

    Kris hustled to slide on his trousers and a clean plaid shirt, not even bothering with smalls. Time for that later. He pulled a comb through his hair and gave himself a once over in the mirror. He smiled at his reflection shyly, seeing Adam's eyelids flutter in the background as he lay sprawled over Kris's bed.

"Be right back." Kris said, leaning over Adam and kissing him softly on the lips. Adam groaned, opening up his mouth. "Lawman's here to see me." Kris said, pulling away.

"Wait..." Adam's eyes went wide, and he hastily tugged Kris back down into another kiss. It was devastatingly deep, all tongue and teeth, and it left Kris aching for breath when Adam finally shoved him back and leapt out of bed.

"I've got it. Kris. I've got it. That has to be it. You, you are a godsend. Why didn't I see it before? Must have gone over that equation a thousand times..."

    Kris chuckled to himself as Adam went back to his room, mumbling under his breath. As usual, he had no idea what Adam was talking about, but was relieved that the doctor had evidently found some inspiration by taking his mind off the problem.

***  


  
     Fightin' Mac was perched on the settee when Kris entered the Room. Mac rose and offered his hand.

"Pleasure to see you again, Sir."

"Please, call me Kris, Sherriff."

"Call me Mac, Kris." Mac replied with only the ghost of a smirk.

"Southern Boys." Lil said, shaking her head and leaving them to talk business. Kris listened with rising anger as Mac told his story and offered Kris the "proof," Matty's hat. Kris frowned, turning the hat over and over in his hands.

"So I'm guessing you want my help for the rescue." Kris surmised, flipping the hat one more time and handing it back upside down to Mac.

"Hold that thought, Kris. There's something in here." Mac fished into the hat, and sure enough, tucked in the hatband, was a small white photograph. Mac looked at it a few seconds before shaking his head.

"I don't know her. An old sweetheart of Matt's, maybe?" Mac said, handing the photograph to Kris.

    The woman's face reached out to him like man holding onto the ledge of a cliff. Though she was clearly older that she had been when last Kris laid eyes on her, she still had the same forlorn expression that she wore as Kris watched her shrinking into the distance on the back of her father's wagon. Katy O'Connell.

    The years had not been kind. She was still beautiful, objectively, but what had always drawn Kris to her was the smile always ever present just behind her eyes. That spark was gone from her, and the lines around her eyes belied her 27 years.

"You know her." Mac said, somewhat unnecessarily as Kris had been staring at the picture in stunned silence. "Well maybe that's what the stranger meant about a reunion."

"What?"

"He told me to bring you, that it would be a sweet reunion. I thought he was talkin' about you and Matty, since Matty literally sings your praises every night. Have you heard 'The Kid from Arkansas?' Mouthful of a title. Most just call it "Krissy the Kid" and have done with it. No offense, Arkansas."

    Kris shook his head, not paying any attention to Mac. He was still staring at the photograph, feeling like Mac had just sucker punched him in the gullet.

"I'll need to speak to Dr. Lambert. I'm in his employ, and as such my time is not my own. "

"Do what you need to do, but I'm leaving in an hour. It's a long ride through Howler country, and we've only got three days before Matty's swingin' by his newly reconstructed throat from some high oak tree. I'm leavin' with or without you."

"I'll...I'll be there. Wait for me." Kris said, holding out his hand.

"Going somewhere?"

Kris jumped, startled by the appearance of Adam in the parlor entryway.

"Forgive me for interrupting, I'm not accustomed to company." Adam continued, his speech suddenly formal, the way it had been in the Kris's letter.

"Not at all, Doctor." Mac said, rising. "Always a pleasure. Beautiful home you have." He said, eying the brightly colored wallpaper and eccentric art on display. "You've been a busy fella, helpin' those who need it. I admire that. Hope that gal you've got is gettin' better."

"I was just on my way to see her. I think I may have worked out a solution. Well, Kristopher helped. He's quite inventive." Adam said, shooting a sly, appreciative glance towards Kris.

"That so?" Mac said, clearly impressed.

"Shucks, Doc." Kris said, stifling a laugh. "I barely did anything. You did most of the work." It was true. Kris bit his lip in recollection.

"Well, I should let you get ready, Arkansas. And let you get back to your patient, Doctor. That's a very special little lady you've got there."

"Thank you!" Lil called from the kitchen.

"Make that two." Mac said, grinning warmly. "See you soon." He said, donning his cap and striding out the door. Adam smiled and waved as he left before turning to Kris. The happy, friendly veneer had dropped from his face.

    Adam and Kris took a moment to stare at each other. Kris knew his face was the picture of guilt, and Adam - Adam just looked worried.

"Leaving so soon, love?" Adam's voice was pitched low, but Kris was relieved when he heard the kitchen door bang shut. Lil had evidently decided to give them some privacy.

"Not for long, if that's alright. Matty's been kidnapped and Sarver asked me to help him."

"I heard. Howler Territory. That's a rough ride, Kristopher. The only guy I know who rode that way came back with half his leg missing and a new-found appetite for raw meat."

"Come on, Adam. I'll be alright. But I gotta do this." Kris sighed and handed Adam the picture.

"Who's this?" Adam asked, unable to keep the panic from his voice. "Your sister?" He added, hopefully.

"That's Katy O'Connell. She's my...she was." Kris stammered uncomfortably. "We were childhood friends. Haven't seen her since I was 15."

"What happened?" Adam asked, studying the picture closely as if hoping to see something of himself in the picture of Kris’s childhood sweetheart.

"She was kidnapped, I guess, on the road from Arkansas to California with her family. They moved away after the war. I tried to find her. Years, I looked. Gave up eventually and drifted ever since."

"Drifted to me." Adam said simply.

"To you." Kris agreed. "Adam, I don't want to drift anymore. But this is something I gotta do. I owe her that. I owe myself that. You wouldn't turn your back on a friend in trouble - why, everything you do you do to help complete strangers. If it were me they had, you'd come for me."

"What if it were me they had?" Adam looked miserable, and for the first time in their acquaintance, he seemed small. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were lowered.

"I'd already be riding. But that won't happen, cause you've got me to keep you safe." Kris put his arms around Adam, feeling the man's stiff posture relax into the embrace. "I've gotta go. Be back soon." He whispered into Adam's ear, placing a kiss on his temple.

"Yeah, alright." Adam didn't sound sure, and the pain in his voice was enough to break Kris's heart.

"Allison needs you now. Come on." He pulled back and grasped Adam by the shoulders. "Believe in me."

"I do." Adam said, and Kris smiled, ignoring the feeling in the pit of his stomach that Adam wasn’t so sure he’d ever see Kris again.

***

"This is shit" Kris complained as he maneuvered Conway through the endless maze of towering needles of rock, pointing accusingly towards the sky from where the meteor came.

"This is the Fragments, and just the tip of them at that." Sarver corrected. "They were here before the Great Trembling, but not like this. Pressure from below pushed them higher and pieces of the Tower flew over here, I guess, but the Doc could probably tell you more about that than I."

"He isn't a geologist." Kris said sullenly, annoyed with how often Adam came up in conversation and at the fact that it was usually him that did the bringing-up.

"Boy, the way I reckon, there isn't much that man don't know. Those Bluefire Lights, those were a stroke of genius. He was on the team that invented the Trackless, you know."

"No, I didn't." It occurred to Kris he didn't know a lot about Adam's past, other than what was in the letter. Adam didn't know enough about his, either. They'd have to rectify that when Kris made it back.

If Kris made it back. Conway had stopped, ears pricking forward like they always did when they sensed danger. Kris looked up, and realized why she had stopped.

They were at the edge of a crater, miles wide and seemingly just as deep. The meteor lay at the center, a deep cobalt rock that lay along with jagged pieces of the huge white formation that used to be called Devil's Tower. It was desolate, alien in its scope. Kris never felt so far from home looking into that wide bowl.

"Terrifying, innit?" Mac said, riding up next to him. "Even without the Howlers."

"I read about Howler's in the Doctor's book before leaving." Kris had practically memorized the page on them. The Badlands Bestiary had quite a thick "H" section, he had noted. The creatures were apparently the offspring of anyone that had lived too close to the crater when the meteor fell. Whatever chemical change had brought about Devilstone had changed the inhabitants of the western Black Hills in a horrifying way. They hunted in packs, intelligent and ferocious, and were difficult to see in the crater due to their signature blue and white coats. The Bestiary even theorized that their fur could change in reaction to their habitat. The reproduced naturally, but like the Hobbler's, a bite from a Howler would bring about a slow and painful change. But they usually didn't let you live to survive the bite. The few survivors told stories of being kept alive for weeks, hacking off a limb and cauterizing the wound until the pack needed to eat again. They liked their dinners fresh, and raw. Legs were always the first to go. Kris reckoned it was tougher to run away with a missing leg than a missing arm, though either prospect turned his stomach.

"I don't suppose you ever killed one before." Mac asked, eyeing Kris hopefully.

"Naw. But I reckon we'll both have the chance before the day is out."

"Always a silver lining with you, Arkansas. Tell me why the papers make you out to be such a cold hearted bastard."

"Search me." Kris said, shrugging. "Guess it makes for a better story." Kris had read up the past issues of the weekly, and that question was beginning to wear on him. Who was this "Snoop" character, anyway, and where did he get off ruinin' a fella's reputation?

"Well, I like you better this way." Mac said, slapping a hand on his shoulder as their horses proceeded down the narrow, winding trail into the crater.

"That makes two of us."

 

***

 

    It was after two am when Kris heard it; a blood-curdling howl, answered by at least twelve more. Kris realized that they were surrounded. Though still at a distance, the Howlers were moving around them, and closer, like a tightening net.

"Mac." He hissed, elbowing Mac hard in the ribs. "Wake up, company." Mac sat up, bolt-straight and gun drawn.

"Where?"

"Listen." The light from the fire they had lit made their eyes strain to see shapes moving in the darkness.

"Aaaaooooooo" Came another long howl, high and sharp, bouncing off the crater walls. The creature's fellows answered, each howl sounding more upset.

"Why aren't they coming any closer?" Mac mumbled, and Kris could only shrug. After a few minutes of waiting in silence for a charge that never came, Kris pulled a log from the fire and held it aloft like a torch. Staying close to the fire, he walked in a slow perimeter, gun held steady in his right hand. A glance over his shoulder told him that Mac had traded out his pistol for a shotgun. That made Kris feel much better. The frustrated howling subsided as Kris circled, when out of the corner of his eye he sensed motion. Close motion. He pivoted and yelled -

"Arms up!" In the event that he had stumbled upon some unfortunate traveler. As the shape shambled closer into the small ring of light from the torch, Kris's eyes widened.

    In front of him was man, of sorts. His back was crooked at an awkward angle, and his legs and arms seemed to bend in reverse. The thing had the face of a man, but his ears had grown long and sharp; twin blades that curved back like the horns of a gazelle. Twenty paces from him, the creature seemed to regard Kris for a moment before bobbing his head slightly. It was almost like a bow. Kris's first impulse was to return the gesture, but he didn't like the idea of losing sight of the beast, even for a moment. The thing tilted its head and opened his mouth. Mac rose, pointing his shotgun, but Kris waved to him to hold still.

"It comes to the Great Hole. Is it a tribute?" The voice was raspy. From the expression on the creature's face, Kris could tell it hurt to talk.

"A tribute?" Kris was confused. What could that mean.

"The tribe of men send us meat. Us leave them be, us they feed." The thing pointed towards Mac. "Is it a tribute?"

"No!" Kris spoke, comprehending now. The outlaws must have some sort of treaty with the beasts. They must trade human lives for safe passage through the crater. Kris's blood boiled. Filthy, no good cowards. "I'm a traveler, trying to reach the, um, the man-tribe. They took a friend of mine."

"Friend of thine, Food of mine. Half-man I am through one more moon, then beast I become and feast will I."

    Kris shuddered in disgust, but pity swam in his heart. This thing had been a human once, and from it's jerking movement, it was in pain. He remembered the paragraph on transformation in the Bestiary and it steadied his gun hand.

"Well, sorry, but you can't eat me. Or my friends."

"This one knows. What does it carry that keeps it safe? Master is curious. Master can't come close. Only Half-man. It hurts Half-man less than the others. The snout, the snout." The thing cried, rubbing at its nose with his misshapen paw. "My eyes, they weep and water."

"I don't know what you mean." Kris said honestly, even as relief flowed through him

"Begone, shaman." Half-man begged. "Master wants find a way to kill, but Half-man wants you gone. Take bad thing with you. Don't come back. Master listens to Half-man." Half-man added a bit proudly.

"Thank you for putting in a good word for us, Half-man. We'll leave at first light.

"Now!" Half-man insisted.

"I don't like this, Arkansas..." Sarver warned, finger heavy on the trigger. "Our path moves awfully close to the wall. They don't have to come close to kill us if they drop something. And the horses could break a leg. There's cracks and chasms all over."

"You made deal with man-tribe. I make deal with you." Kris said, slipping into the cadence of Half-man's speech momentarily. "We'll leave as soon as the sun comes up. If you attack us, I swear to the almighty I'll bring a whole train full of the bad thing and leave it here. You leave us alone, and I'll never bring the bad thing back." _Whatever it is _he silently added.

Half-man tilted his head as if considering.

"It sleeps lightly. Half-man tell Master. Maybe Master listens. Short days and safe moons, shaman."

With that the thing bowed again, and this time Kris returned the gesture.

"Well, that was interesting." Kris said as he returned to Mac.

"You've got nerves tougher than a wooden door, Kid." Mac admitted. "If it were me I woulda shot that thing as soon as I saw it."

"I kinda felt bad for it, really. Not so long ago he was no different than you or I. He's still not too much different. Course, not for too much longer. Another month and he'll be -" An angry howl sounded in the distance, followed by several yelps. "One of them."

"You think we're safe?" Mac asked. "What was it talking about, the bad thing?"

"I don't know. But he called me a shaman. That's like an herbalist, I think." Kris hummed low in his throat and remembered Adam explaining to him about the Redfire plant. His hand throbbed in remembrance of the burn, and soon the rest of him was throbbing too, his body recalling the cure.

Kris walked over to Conway and rooted through his saddlebags. It couldn't be their trail provisions, everyone had those and clearly they hadn't stopped a Howler attack. Reaching the bottom of one of the bags, his fingers felt an unfamiliar cloth satchel. He pulled it out and moved towards the fire. It was doubled up cotton, hastily stitched up, with a button closure. Kris opened the pouch.

"Whatever it is you're doing, I suggest you hurry. I don't think Master wanted to listen to Half-man. My guess is that Half-man isn't going to see the next moon."

"Hold on." Kris said, fingers trembling. A note was tucked inside, along with three smaller pouches. Kris squeezed one of the pouches. It crunched a bit, and smelled like lavender and something else Kris couldn't name. He unfolded the note, and in Adam's careful handwriting he could read.

_"Burn me." _

 

    The words left a knot in his throat. Kris removed one of the small pouches and tossed in into the center fire. The flames instantly died down, but it was only a moment before they shot up, higher than before. Smoke began billowing out from the fire in cascading rings.

    Kris could hear the Howlers all around them, moving closer. He could even see their eyes glowing a sickly blue gray in the reflected light. The biggest one advanced, Kris could see his giant wolfish body and hear his slavering growl.

    The first ring of smoke washed over Kris and Mac and pushed around them, bubbling over rocks like water boiling in too small a pot. It entered Kris's nostrils and mouth as he breathed, and Kris absentmindedly thought it tasted sweet.

"Screw this." Mac said, and the twin blasts from his shotgun rang out. The shot only struck rock however, as the Howlers were retreating into the darkness, sounding their anger and discontent.

"Half-man told you!" Kris heard a female half-breed shout. "It fills our land with smoke and fire. It chokes us." Her complaints were met by a snarl, and Kris had to cover his ears to keep from hearing the sounds of tearing flesh and tortured screams.

"Told you there ain't much that Doctor of yours don't know." Mac said, slapping Kris on the back.

"Wish he would have told me."

"Maybe he hoped he wouldn't have to. Hell, the smell kept them away well enough without being burned. Maybe he thought if you believed you were safe you wouldn't be careful." Sarver said, reloading his gun. "I'm sure he thought it best."

"Yeah." Kris was torn between feeling intensely grateful and mildly annoyed that Adam didn't mention the pouch. Then again, after their goodbye in the parlor Adam had gone straight up to the lab while Kris packed. Perhaps he just couldn't break away from Allison. He recalled the look in Adam's eyes. Perhaps he just couldn't bear another goodbye.

Kris let himself be hypnotized by the fire and the sweet taste of the smoke rings as he tried to chase away the ghost of the sad morning. It was better to think about the night before, and all the night that were yet to come. _Short suns and safe moons, Adam_. He thought as he slipped off to sleep, leaving Mac to stand watch.

 

***

 

"There looks to be six, at least right now." Mac said, peering out over a ridge. "Could be more in them tents. There's Matty right there" Mac pointed to a figure, hogtied and laying in the dirt. "No sign of your girlfriend."

"She's not my-" Kris started, but shook his head. Not important right now. Something was bugging him. This felt wrong. "I thought this was going to be a more permanent settlement." Kris said with a frown. "Not a bunch of tents. Why drag us all the way here when they could have met us anywhere?"

"Hoped the Howlers would take care of you for them, I guess,

"But they think we're bringing money. You think the howlers would have brought them the money?"

"It's possible." Sarver said with a frown. "Look, I ain't much of a detective. But I have been known to gamble. There's two of us and six of them. With you here, I like those odds, Arkansas."

"Right on, Mac. Which one do you reckon came to see you."

"I don't see him. They coulda hired someone, I suppose. Or maybe he's out making more threats, how the hell do I know? Look, you take those three and I'll take the balance."

"I could hit one from here. Maybe two, depending on how fast they moved." Kris said, squinting one eye. The tip of his tongue snaked out as he took aim.

"Count to ten first, let me get into position." Sarver said, moving slowly so as not to attract attention. Kris used the time to scan the camp again. No sign of Katy. There were exactly six horses and one mule. Kris focused in on Matty, and was relieved to see him wriggle a bit.

_    Ten_, Kris thought, and squeezed the trigger. A second later, one of the gunmen was bleeding out onto the red soil. He took aim again, trying to find a second target amongst the rabidly scattering men. Matty screamed through his gag, looking terrified. Kris thought he sounded a bit like the Harpseechords whose vocal chords he now possessed. He took aim again and fired, missing a second bandit by an inch. Kris needed to get closer.

    He launched himself down the hill, scurrying from rock to log to rock, trying to pick an unexpected path down the side as the outlaws fired at him. He heard the satisfying blast of Mac's shotgun and the even more satisfying sound of two bodies hitting the dirt.

"Two to one, Arkansas." Mac bellowed, ducking behind a rock to reload. Kris popped up and fired off one shot from each pistol. He caught one straight between the eyes and another in the chest.

"Damn" Kris said, and leaned out again to hit the wounded man in the head. It was a mercy, and besides, the man could still fire a weapon.

"Last one's mine" Sarver said, moving from behind his boulder.

"Look out!" Kris called, but it was too late. Mac was so focused on his target that he completely missed the tree branch in front of him and tripped, rolling down the side of the hill into the open camp.

"Son of a-" Kris head Mac exclaim as he instinctively reached for his ankle. Kris saw the lone gunman take aim. He only had a second to react. He raised his left hand and shot, sending a bullet into the gunman's hand. The gun he held fell to the ground, and Kris ran over to it, kicking it as far as he could.

"Where is she?" Kris screamed at the trembling outlaw, years of frustration falling from him in one livid shout.

"Que?" Kris heard him respond, and swore under his breath. Of course the one left alive wouldn't speak English. Kris pulled the picture from his vest pocket and repeated. "WHERE?"

The captive began to babble animatedly, and Kris didn't like the look on his face. The man wore an arrogant smile. Kris didn't speak much Spanish, but he knew a few choice words, and hearing those words applied to Katy filled him with boiling rage, even after all these years. Sad last words for a man, but Kris wasn't in the forgiving mood.

"God damn, Arkansas." Mac said, looking Kris up and down. His vest was splattered with blood from shooting at far too close of a range. "Remind me to stay on your good side."

    Kris didn't respond, couldn't respond. If what the man was saying was true, Katy had been ...he couldn't even bring himself to think the words. He could only think of how she must be suffering. If there was even a chance she was still alive, Kris had to find her. Kris bent down and prodded Mac's ankle.

"Alright?" He asked, finally finding his tongue.

"Think it might be broken. Tough to tell, really."

"Hang on." Kris pulled out his knife and cut away a sleeve from one of the shirts the bandits had been wearing. Carefully removing Mac's boot, he wrapped the injured foot as best he knew how. Mac pulled a flask from his pocket and drank the whole thing in one long pull.

"MMMmmmmpppphh!" Kris heard over his shoulder, and turned round. In his anger over Katy, he had completely forgotten the reason they were there. Matty was trying to wriggle his way towards Kris, but his hands and arms were tied behind his back so he wasn't going anywhere fast.

"Hold on there, Matty." Kris said, rushing over to him and cutting his bonds. Matt pulled the gag out of his mouth.

"Damn. You think I'd be used to it but it's really nice to be able to talk." He threw his arms around Kris and hugged him close. Kris felt a bit uncomfortable, but supposed he would cling onto anyone that rescued him from death too. "Thank you."

"Weren't nothing." Kris smiled, patting his back. "Getting past the Howlers was the scary part. These guys were practically green peas."

"That's just 'cause you were here, Mr. Arkansas." Matt gushed.

"Aw, Mac Sarver's the one you should be thankin'" Kris said, trying to squirm away.

"Yeah, I saw him fall. Is the doctor with you? You're still ridin' the rivers with him, aren't ya?"

"He's not here. But yeah, I still work for him."

"Aw, shit, don't give me that. You two get on real famously. Like Old Clyde Hutchins and Steely Pedro." Kris had no idea who Old Clyde and Steely Pedro were, but it didn't matter since Matt launched into a ballad chronicling their friendship as they helped Mac onto Prince.

"Guess you can pick a horse." Kris said, gesturing towards the herd of animals. "That blue roan looks the best to me."

"Yeah. I could call her Kalamazoo, where I'm from." Matt said, delightedly hopping onto the horse’s back.

"Sounds great, Kris said, patting Conway as he mounted. "Hey Matt, can you tell me somethin?"

"Sure. Anything."

"They have you anywhere else before you came here?" Kris asked, hopeful.

"Don't rightly know. We might have stopped, but they hit me over the head pretty hard after my set on Thursday. I came-to here, on the ground." Matt volunteered.

"Thanks Matt. Kris said, nudging Conway into a brisk trot. "Ready, Mac?"

"As I'll ever be. Boy, Matt, you sure are makin' up for lost time." Sarver said with a smile.

"Hey, Arkansas, can I ask you something? What ever happened to that lady you met on your first day here? Gosh she was swell, wasn't she Mac?"

"She did cut quite a figure. What happened to her, Kris, she give you the mitten?"

"Something like that." Kris said, arching his brow as the other two men laughed.

"Well don't worry. Plenty of grass widows out here." Matt said, bringing Kalamazoo right up alongside Conway.

"Arkansas don't need no grass widows, he's got a gal." Mac said.

"Oh, of course." Matty said. Kris closed his eyes and discreetly spurred Conway into a canter.

 

***

 

    It was late the next day when Kris put Conway into her stall. The moon was already high in the sky, and he could see the faint blue glow of the newly Bluefire-lit laboratory. He had wanted to turn in, but if Adam was still awake...

    A hunger tore through his belly that had nothing to do with food. He had only been gone for three days, but it felt like an eternity. He was going to have to be gone longer than that in order to find Katy, and that knowledge ate at him even as he slid open the tin door to the lab. He'd have to make Adam understand. It wasn't about love, finding Katy. Well, maybe that was part of it. But it wasn't the same sort of love he felt for Adam. Helping her was no different than staying at home to help his Mamma when she was sick so many years ago. Sometimes you couldn't follow your heart. Sometimes a man had to do what needed doing.

"I'm home" Kris called into the empty room, knowing his voice would carry through the thin walls.

"Mmmmhhhhmmph!" Was the only reply. Kris thought of Matty immediately, how he had sounded when gagged. Kris burst through the door of the study and his heart fell into his boots.

    Lil, Scott, and Allison (who looked markedly less blue but whose hair remained a brilliant pink) were tied together and gagged, sitting on the floor. Scott's goggles lay on the floor, smashed. Dried blood was beneath his nose, which had obviously been broken and he appeared to be passed out. Adam was nowhere to be seen.

He was about to cut them free when he saw something else that made his blood run cold.

On the slate, in angry chalk letters, was a message confirming Kris's darkest fear.

**"Don't come looking, Arkansas." **

 

 

**Epitaph.**

_    Well readers, I've got good news and I've got bad news. I'll give ya the good news first since I'm such a positive guy. My sources tell me that Arkansas and Fightin' Mac Sarver took a small excursion west, visiting such scenic holiday areas such as The Fragments and the howler infested Crater before getting down to the business of freeing the kidnapped Matt Giraud, who was being held for $30,000.00 in ransom. Who knew his golden throat was worth that much? Of course, Arkansas doesn't pay ransom, so he and Mac made short work of butchering those outlaws. When are you going to learn, bad guys, don't mess with Krissy the Kid. It'll only end with a bullet between your eyes._

_    Krissy came home unscathed, but poor Mac will be laid up for a few weeks with a bad sprain. How he got a sprained ankle in a gun fight is beyond me._ _   
_

_   More good news! Dr. Lambert has managed to reverse the transformation of Allison Iraheta from famed young singer into slobbering Hobbler! The singer, recently turned twenty and still unmarried, gentlemen, says she is feeling fine and "loves her new look." Her new look, of course, is the permanently pink coiffure she wears as a badge of honor._ _   
_

_   Now, for the bad news. Dr. Adam Lambert has been featured here recently for his philanthropy and for his invention, the Bluefire Light. Turns out that wasn't the only invention he was working on. While his hired gun hand was off saving the piano man, the Doctor was removed from his laboratory, along with a cart full of scientific experiments and notes. What could he have been working on, and more importantly, who decided that the invention was valuable enough to abscond with Westport's number one citizen (even if he is a bit of an odd stick?) No news of who could be responsible, though this reporter thinks that the timing is a bit of a coincidence. Something tells me Krissy is in over his head on this one. Maybe The Snoop should offer his detective services. But then who would there be to report the aftermath?_ _   
_

_Till next week, like the Howlers say, Short suns and safe moons! _

_The Snoop_


	6. Snoop and Ye Shall Find

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Adam goes missing, the town of Westport rallies around Kris to try and form a rescue party

 

 

**Prologue:**

"Keep him safe, girl" Adam said, patting Conway on the nose. She nickered in response, which Adam took to mean that she accepted her charge. He scratched the little paint behind her ear as he slid the small pouch into her saddlebags.

Adam didn't even know if it would work, but he prayed - actually prayed - that Kris wouldn't need it. He didn't linger, however. Kris was right, Allison needed him.

     The next day went by in a blur. Adam fought to concentrate on the task at hand though nearly out of his mind with worry and the lingering fear that Kris would find his "childhood friend" and skedaddle back to Arkansas. It was worse after he had administered the hopeful cure to Allison. Then all he could do was wait and worry. After several long hours of alternately trying to sleep, reliving the feel of Kris's hand on him below the water, and imagining worst case scenarios that involved Kris coming back half-Howler, he returned to the lab to check on his charge.

     Adam felt better once Allison had woken up. The blue tinge had faded from her skin, but it seemed like the pink hair was there to stay. Allison loved it though, twirling in front of the bathroom mirror and giggling while Adam gazed longingly at the cast iron bathtub.

     Noting his morose expression, the singer insisted that they go out for a drink, so she could repay him for the cure. Allison was impossible to resist. The entire bar yelled when she entered, several of the miners thumping Adam on the back for saving her. He didn't know quite what to do with his newfound popularity. People kept buying him drinks, which was nice, but he missed Kris and the feel of brandy sliding down his throat did nothing to dull that ache.

     He was drunk by the time Allison was ready to go, having put on an impromptu show. The patrons of the saloon all mourned Matty's absence, wishing he could accompany her properly. Adam waved to the bar keeper, and the men actually cheered him as he left. Seemed like the townsfolk were finally coming around to him.

     The main house was dark, which Adam had expected, but a Bluefire light was on in the lab, shining like a blue firefly in the dark. Scott must be working late. The project he had been researching was going better than planned. His government contact would be pleased. He sent Allison inside, telling her to wake Lil and to make herself comfortable in his room. He would sleep in Kris's bed, if he slept at all. More likely he would lay awake remembering how Kris had looked tangled in the sheets beneath him. It was an uncomfortable prospect, but better than picturing Allison sleeping in that bed.

"Take the night off, Scott." Adam said, pushing the door to the lab open. "We can hit it hard tomorrow. Scott?"

   The main laboratory room was empty, but the door to his study was ajar. Adam chewed his lip. It wasn't that he expressly forbade Scott to go into his office alone, it just wasn't like him. Maybe he had just needed a book.

"Hey, Scott?" Adam said, poking his head through the door. All of a sudden his vision went white as the door slammed shut on his head, pain exploding though his skull like a thousand angry meteors slamming into the earth. He slid to the ground and felt strong hands restrain him with rope.

"They made me pack it all up, doc. " He heard Scott say as Adam felt himself slipping from consciousness. "Everything to do with the weapon." Scott was tied to the base of the lab table. It occurred to Adam that Scott wasn't going anywhere, that whoever had accosted him was interested in him alone.

Adam rolled his head to the side, towards the bottom tier of his bookshelf where his journal was concealed, detailing his work with the Unity Project. It was hidden inside the slipcover of one of his hardcover school books. It was still there.

"Tell Kris about the stars." He said to Scott. "Tell him to start looking there."

"You won't tell him nothing." A surly voice said, and Adam watched in horror just as he saw Scott take a punch across his nose. Scott slumped against the table as his glasses flew off his head and onto the floor. Adam heard a sickening crunch.

"What he mean about stars?" A second voice asked.

"He's probably out of it. You hit him too hard. Be careful, that brain of his is worth more than your life."

"He's a big fella. He can take a bit more, can't you?" The first voice said, and that was all Adam heard before a rifle butt slammed him in the temple. Everything went black.

***

**The Tale**

     Kris was pacing. He had Conway still saddled up and was fighting the urge to get on her and ride in any direction that felt good. As it was, all he could do was wait. He had sent Lil into town to fetch Fightin' Mac and Megan Joy, if she could be found. He didn't care that it was late in the evening. Emergencies don't stand on ceremony and this was an Emergency.

     Worse yet, he was worried that Scott needed a doctor. Westport had a regular sawbones, of course, but Kris had never met him. He hoped Lil would think of sending for him on her own. It had been against his every instinct to send a woman out on her own, but Lil was adamant that she would be safe on the three-mile trip. Allison was in tears. After Kris had untied her, she had thrown herself against his chest, demanding to know why he hadn't been there. Kris had just held her, not knowing what else to do. He was unable to look her in the eyes anyway.

"I'll find him, I'll find him." Kris kept mumbling, running his hand through her bizarrely colored hair. She stopped hitting him and relaxed into the hug. Kris clung to her like she was his tether to the earth. Scott moaned, and Allison and Kris both ran to his side. His eyes fluttered open.

"Scott. It's Kris." Kris reached down and took his hand.

"Kris?"

"I'm back....God Scott I'm so sorry."

"Kris...Adam." Scott mumbled, starring off into space.

"I know." Kris choked out his answer.

"The stars, Kris. Adam said to look."

Kris started to ask Scott what he was talking about, but Scott had already tilted his head to the side, his unseeing eyes distant as he drifted back into unconsciousness.

"What does that even mean?" Allison asked, blinking through her tears. "Some kind of constellation? Are you supposed to go north, like follow the little dipper?"

"I don't know." Kris admitted. When he thought of stars, the only thing he could think of was kissing Adam beneath them; a kiss for each point of light he could see.

***

  
     The sun rose onto a hot Dakota morning, and Kris found himself standing on the back of a cart, addressing what essentially amounted to the Westport Concerned Citizens brigade. Once word got around that new town darling Dr. Lambert was missing, folks started migrating to the ranch en masse. Lil was up to her ears in casseroles, and Allison found herself trying to keep people from poking about the Laboratory. Kris figured that while half the folks were actually concerned for Adam, the other half were using his absence as an excuse to lay eyes on the ranch.

     However, the endless stream of visitors yielded some information. The barkeep of The Golden Calf had mentioned an unfamiliar group of ne'er do wells showing up in town the night before, staying for Allison's impromptu concert and leaving just before Adam. He said they had came in from the south, from the Fragments, so at least Kris had a guess on a direction should he decide to ride off aimlessly.

     Reverend Gokey had made an appearance as well, arriving in a cart with several dirty faced orphans. He held an immediate on site prayer circle, calling on God to assist Kris in finding Adam. Kris wasn't sure how much good that would do, nor how Adam would feel about it, but he'd take any intervention he could get, divine or otherwise. After the service, Daniel pulled Kris aside discreetly.

"When you go, I'm coming with you." He said. "No two words about it."

"I thought you'd renounced violence." Kris said. "Adam wouldn't want you to break any vows-"

"Kris, I owe him this much. You both saved my life, and my life's work. The kids are all worried."

"What if something happens to you?"

"The Foundation is in good hands. A few of the widows could take over, if need be. They have a passion for this work, as much as I do."

Kris couldn't argue. He clasped the Reverend on his shoulder.

"Thank you. I'll let you know when we ride." Kris said, turning to go back to the crowd.

"There's more, Kris. Somebody contacted me. He wants to help, on the condition on anonymity."

"Who?" Kris's interest was piqued. Just about everyone he knew in town was already there, had already pledged their assistance. Daniel motioned for Kris to follow, and the two men walked around to the back of the laboratory building.

     A dark-skinned man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long brown duster leaned against the quansen hut, smoking a cigarillo.

"Kid." The stranger said, tugging on his hat. "That'll be all, Reverend." Daniel nodded and ducked around the corner.

"Who are you?" Kris said, not in the mood for niceties. "If you know who did this to Adam, I swear-"

"Take it easy, Kid." The man said, exhaling a long stream of smoke.

"Don't tell me to take it easy." Kris said, feeling his fists begin to ball up. "I haven't slept in thirty hours, one of my friends is unconscious, the other is god-knows where, pictures of my missing childhood sweetheart turn up after 12 years of nothing, and now some stranger shows up claiming to know things. Who the hell are you and what do you know?" Kris was aware he was taking out his frustration on someone who was trying to help, but he didn't care. Maybe his intimidating reputation would come in handy for once.

The stranger just smiled.

"Thought you would have guessed." The man put out his cigarillo with his boot and held out his hand. "I'm the Snoop." The next sound out of his mouth was a loud yelp as he dodged left to avoid a mean right hook.

Kris wailed as his fist connected with the steel building.

"Friggin' Howlerballs!" Kris screamed the worst thing he could think of, rubbing his right hand.

"There are children here, compadre." The Snoop said, but he was laughing. "Howlerballs. I'll have to write that one down. Ready to talk now, or are you gonna swing at me again?"

"Might as well talk till my hand stops hurting." Kris said, eyes squinched mostly shut. "If I like what you have to say I might not punch you."

"Good enough." The Snoop said, fishing into a bag. "A few days ago I got this letter. It's from a gal who says she thinks she knows you."

Kris tore the letter from his hands, ignoring the throb in his fingers as they curled around the paper.

_ "Dear Mr. Snoop"_ It began, and Kris felt his eyes well up with tears. It was Katy's handwriting. They had shared a slate in school and he had always admired her penmanship. It was the same now as it had been back then, the perfect curls of her letters drawing him back to a different place and time.

_ "My name is Katy Jones. It weren't always, but I've been married these last ten years. At least I think we got married. That's what he told me. But these memories have been coming back, and now I'm not too sure of anything. Last thing I remember, I was laying by the side of a wagon. It was so dark and Jonathan was lifting me up. Bandits had attacked our wagon, he said. I didn't know who he was. I barely knew who I was, I could only remember that my name was Katy. He seemed sad at that, said he was my husband. I believed him, of course. I believed him and he took me to a teeny cabin in the woods. We had a quiet life, and I came to love him even though I had no recollection of life before the wagon crashed._

  
_ “We even had children, two sons, Christopher and Alan. They're near grown now, and look so much like their daddy it hurts me to look at them. You see, last week men came to our house. Jonathan knew them. He was afraid, I could tell. He was right to be afraid. They shot him out behind the cabin. They took things from me, too. A picture of me Jonathan kept on the wall and a few other valuables. Most of the men left, but one stayed behind. He says he's waiting for someone to come. Someone's coming for me. I said I weren't no one important, but he didn't believe me.Said I was important to someone named Arkansas. Showed me his picture in your magazine. _

_  
Mr. Snoop, I know that man. He's from my past, back from before I forgot everything. I don't know what he was to me, but from reading your magazine it seems like maybe he's been looking for me for a long time. Jonathan was a big fan, he kept every issue, and I've been reading. If you see fit to pass this letter along, I'd appreciate it. I want him to know what happened to me, and if he still wants to find me, he can look for me south of Pointville, Colorado. He should ask in town for the Jones cabin, the folks in town know where we are. Tell him to hurry. I don't know who's coming for me, but after what happened to Jonathan, I fear they don't mean me any good. I've sent Christopher off with this letter, and my prayers that it reaches you safe. You're my only hope."_

     Kris had turned away from The Snoop halfway through the letter to hide his tears. In some ways, it was better news than he had hoped for. At least she hadn't been...any of the things the gunman was talking about in Spanish. It seemed like she had been happy. She was a mother. Her sons' names made Kris need to pause for a moment before finishing the letter. Somehow, she had unconsciously remembered him. Maybe seeing him in person would bring back even more memories. Yet, who was Jonathan Jones? Kris could only think that he was one of the bandits that had attacked their train in the first place. Perhaps he had abandoned his group and circled back, having noticed the unconscious girl. The man had lied to her, but he had protected her too. Now he was dead, and someone was coming for Katy. Because of Kris. He hadn't ever been subtle about the fact that he was looking for her. In his early days of riding, he had shown her picture to anyone who would look. He had berated civilians and criminals alike for any information on her. It had probably even been in the Weekly. By trying to find her, Kris had made her a target for anyone looking to get vengeance on him. Or anyone looking to distract him from looking for Adam.

"I'm sorry I tried to punch you." Kris said quietly, tugging his hat low.

"It ain't nothing." The Snoop said. "Just figured I owed you one. Your stories have made me the most sought after reporter in the west. I'm a rich man, thanks to you. Though if you think about it, I did you a favor. No one wants to mess with you. Criminals everywhere are scared of your shadow. You're a living legend. Hell, if it weren't for me, Dr. Adam Lambert would have never heard your name. Suppose you wouldn't be in this position now, but he's got to be found. Beein' as that's the case, there ain't a man in the west I'd rather have lookin' for him. You're a good man, Kris Allen."

"You know my name." Kris said, surprised.

"Of course I do. How the hell do you think Lambert found you?"

Kris held out his hand, and The Snoop took it.

"Now I'm really sorry I tried to hit you." Kris said. "But since you know my name, I should really know yours."

The Snoop grinned, his smile white against his warm cocoa skin.

"Anoop Desai. Though if you tell anyone, I'll run a piece on how you lost a duel to Megan Joy and lost your balls."

"Deal." Kris said, shaking. "Nice to meet you, Snoop."

***

  
     After noon, Kris had shooed out most of the visitors and well-wishers and locked the gate. He was exhausted, but waved off the lunch Lil brought out to the lab. She looked at him sharply, but when Kris promised he'd eat dinner she hurried back to the kitchen, no doubt to start preparing the biggest roast she could find.

     Scott had come-to under the watchful eye of Dr. Jackson, a colored fellow from Mississippi. Kris tried to pay him, but Dr. Jackson had waved the money away, saying that Dr. Lambert had come to his aid with difficult patients on more than one occasion. Lil had sent him home with one of the sympathy casseroles anyway, promising to send him news when there was any to be had. Now Scott sat, broken goggles strapped to his face.

"It's like looking at the world through a piece of straw." He complained, but wore them anyway.

     Kris looked at his assembled friends. Scott and Lil sat close together, followed by Allison and Megan. Kris noticed that the three women were holding hands, Allison clinging to them like a foundling child. Daniel stood behind Megan, hand on her shoulder. Mac Sarver sat on a table, propping his wounded ankle on the back of a chair. Matty was there too. Kris had tried to send him home, but Matty had insisted he had just as much right to help find Adam as anyone else. Kris couldn't deny him that, though he doubted of what use a piano player could be. Last but not least was The Snoop, standing away from the group as if unsure as to whether or not he belonged there.

"Let's review." Kris said, indicating the slate behind him. Daniel offered to write, much to Kris's relief. His own handwriting was terrible, as Katy O'Connell had long ago been fond of telling him.

"I finished singing at midnight on Tuesday. I guess that makes it Wednesday." Allison started. "We probably got back to the ranch at 12:30. We were walking slow cause Adam was a little drunk. You shoulda seen him; everyone was buying him drinks and thumping him on the back. He was a hero..." She said, sniffling.

"Not now, sweetie pie. Hold it together." Lil said, squeezing her hand.

"The posse showed up at about midnight here, which makes sense with the Barkeep's story." Scott added. Kris had filled him in. "They made me pack up some equipment. Hit me pretty hard, but I think I got in a good few punches. They had me tied up when Adam came into the lab. I tried to warn him but they had a gun to my head. I shoulda warned him anyway. It's all my fault." Scott hung his head, and this time Lil had to comfort him.

"I made him go to the bar!" Allison said, trying to take the blame. "If we woulda stayed in maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"I was gone." Kris said, sadness in his voice. "It was my job to keep him safe."

"That was my fault!" Matt said, putting his head in his hands. His hat slumped low on his forehead, hiding his eyes. "I never shoulda got myself kidnapped."

"Gosh darn it, y'all?" Mac Sarver said, suddenly on his feet. He winced, limping up to the front of the group. "This isn't helping. You can blame yourselves and cry later. Right now we gotta put our heads together and figure out what's going on." Kris looked at Mac gratefully.

"Why doesn't Scott tell us?" The Snoop said, stepping forward. All eyes shifted towards the nearly-blind man, who turned a shade of crimson.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you tell us what Adam was working on. The experiment the men had you pack up. It couldn't be random. Look, this whole section of tables is empty." Anoop swept his hand over four tables. He was right. Every piece of data, every test tube, every strange gadget that had been spilling over the edges of the tables was gone. Kris remembered Adam measuring black liquid the day he gave Kris his guitar. He had been working on that experiment.

"I...I don't know..."Scott stammered, and Kris went to him. Scott flinched, apparently seeing movement coming towards him and fearing further violence. But Kris just knelt on one knee in front of him and took his hand. If there was anyone here that knew what Kris was going through, it was Scott. Lil might suspect, but Scott knew what he and Adam were to each other.

"If there's anything you know about why this happened, Scott, you gotta tell me. I gotta make this right. If anything happens to him, I won't be able to forgive myself." Kris mumbled quietly. "And I know you won't either."

Scott pushed the goggles up off his face to wipe his eyes.

"Damn it." Scott cursed. "He made me swear. It's his whole life, Kris. You don't know what you're asking me to do."

"It's not his whole life." Kris protested. "We're in his life, too. We all are. Besides, he wanted you to tell me something. Something about the stars."

"The stars?" Scott said, tilting his head.

"You woke up, briefly, and told me Adam wanted me to look at the stars. Or somethin' like that. Tough to tell, you were only up for a moment."

"Well, I am not sure what stars have to do with anything." Scott said. "But before the guy put his finishing touches on me Adam told me to tell you about the stars. To start looking there. I assumed you would know what it meant. Thought it was...I thought you would know." Scott gestured emptily, waving his hand and falling silent.

"I still say it's some kinda constellation thing." Allison insisted. Kris stood up.

"Anyone know anything about Astronomy?" Kris looked around hopefully.

"I don't but Adam does." Scott chimed in, obviously grateful that the focus was off of the missing experiment, at least for the moment.

"Well, why don't we just ask him?" Megan said, annoyed with the whole thing. Kris could tell she was itching to ride.

"He has _books_." Scott pointed out, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"Oh. Well, let's look then." Megan pulled Kris by the arm into Adam's study.

"We'll just keep working on the timeline..." Daniel called after them, and Kris was thrilled when he heard actual discussion continuing in the next room.

"What order do you think he had these in? You'd think "A" books would be on the top." Megan said, rooting through the top shelf rather carelessly. Kris walked down the bookshelf wall, scanning the entire collection. A purple book caught his eye, sticking out just a bit from the rest of its row.

"A Comprehensive Study of Astronomy." Kris read. He felt his stomach flutter. Maybe Adam would have a page marked. Maybe Adam had time to slip a note inside. He pulled the book off the shelf, but the binding came loose in his hands. A thick, leather bound journal fell to the ground with a thud.

"I guess you can just ignore that message" Megan said, thumbing to the slate upon which the kidnappers had warned Kris not to look for Adam. "And start looking."

***

  
     Kris left the search party after dinner and laid down in his room. The sheets had been changed, but Kris rolled himself up in them, pretending he could still smell Adam on his pillow. He allowed himself five minutes of shameless crying before rising again to review his only two leads: The letter from Katy, and Adam's Journal, entitled "Project Unity." It was not only a scientific journal; several allusions to Adam's personal life were outlined. Kris tried not to read them.

     Most of what was in the journal was over Kris's head, but from what Kris could understand, Adam was the lead researcher in a government project looking to develop a large explosive device from Devilstone. The basic premise was to create a weapon so powerful that it would serve as a deterrent to any future separationist entities. Adam's team had been on to something when their lab had mysteriously blown up. Some members of the team had blamed Adam and refused to work with him. The rest believed what Adam told them - that their Laboratory had been compromised by separatist interests and that the Laboratory explosion was part of that. Adam had received a vast sum of money to keep researching the Devilstone Device. _An uncle had passed away and left him a fortune, wanting him to use the money for the betterment of mankind._ Had Adam lied to him?

     Only Scott had been willing to follow Adam to the new location, the rest afraid of a repeat explosion or not suited to the frontier lifestyle. Adam had selected the location so that, in the event of a disaster, not as many people would get hurt. It was also easier to stay out of reach of those interests that Adam believed were out to sabotage his work.

     In the last two months, Adam had been receiving threatening letters from a group calling themselves "Sons of the West." Adam didn't seem to think that these people were behind the initial explosion, but their intent was clear; to steal the technology Adam was developing. Kris swallowed hard when he came to the entries mentioning his name.

_"Kristopher Allen arrived today. I hope his presence here will be enough to deter the Sons of the West. He isn't the fearsome maniac that the Weekly has made him out to be, but I'm glad of it. His reputation is what I was after. Any actual competence is a bonus."_

"Kris fought off an entire pod of Harpseechords today. Perhaps they aren't the fiercest of beasts, but I wanted to start him off small. See what he could do. Glad to see his prowess was not overstated."

"Kris saved a sinner and changed the heart of a preacher. I can't say that I've seen his equal as a marksman. Or a human."

"Cured Kris of a Redfire rash. He cured me of much more. Kristopher. You undo me."

"...Kris dove on me, trying to shield me from the explosion. Can he shield me from the explosion I know is coming? These letters are getting more demanding. I've stashed them away in my bedroom for safekeeping. Kris. If you're reading this, they're coming for me. Forgive me for not explaining. The letters are beneath my mattress. Forgive me for not telling you everything, I should have. Hopefully some of those things you already know."

  
     Kris lay Katy's letter and Adam's journal side by side and retrieved the stack of mail from Adam's room. He needed help with all of this, it was too much information and too much for one man. There was really only enough time to pursue one lead.

    Close to half his life he had been looking for Katy, and turning his back on her after hearing from her for the first time was nearly unthinkable. Kris could still see her sad face on the day they parted, still remembered all the miles he had ridden, all the men he had killed to try and find her or avenge her or just feel alive again. The news that she had unknowingly settled down with one of her kidnappers rubbed him the wrong way as well, but try as he might, he didn’t have it in him to hate the man. Evidently, his past crimes had caught up with him, and in the meantime he had made Katy happy.

    Kris’s decision loomed large in the room where Kris and Adam had so recently become one body. He couldn’t ignore that heartache either. Whatever he and Katy had been to each other, that   was long ago. Adam was his now, loved him now, and possessed him more completely than he could have imagined. His two choices were clear. He could either act on the few-days-old message from Katy, hope that she would still be there and hope that the person holding her captive would lead him to Adam. Or he could try and glean what information he could from the Sons of the West mail and set off on a possibly more direct route. Kris packed up all his information and headed back to the lab. Hopefully everyone could find the right way forward together.

***

  
"The Sons of the West letters suggest several meeting points.” Anoop said, holding up the packet of correspondence for all to see. “When you take into consideration Matty's kidnapping location, the meeting points all have one thing in common - they are all within 50 miles of The Fragments. Don't get too excited. That's a lot of ground to cover" The Snoop had roughly sketched a map onto the slate board, with little stars indicating the proposed meet up locations in the letters. _The stars...tell Kris to start looking there…_ Kris thought, recalling Scott’s retelling of the kidnapping.

"By Scott's estimation, the project was nearly complete. A few more days and Adam will have invented the Devilstone Device. If he is able to stall, we have, on the outside, a week to find him before the Sons of the West have what they want." The Snoop continued. "I pulled my file on the Sons of West. It seems to be a small, fringe group that believes that the lands west of the Mississippi river should secede from the Union. They are hoping to strike soon, while the North and South are still hurting from the Civil War. If they control a Devilstone Device, it could very likely shatter the union. Not to mention, once they have the Device...it's likely they'd want to keep that knowledge to themselves."

     The Snoop didn't have to elaborate. They'd kill Adam. It's what Adam himself had been afraid of, it was what triggered him to hire what he thought was the fastest, fiercest gun in the west for a guard. Not that it had done him any good, Kris thought bitterly.

"The Fragments have only been partially mapped. There are the old maps from before the Great Trembling, but we can assume they are wildly inaccurate. Still, I think their most likely location is here. It has access to water, should be easily defensible due to the rock formations, and it's smack dab in the middle of a Belltoller breeding ground." The Snoop circled a large section of The Fragments, double checking his actual map a few times.

"Belltollers?" Allison asked.

"You don't even want to know." Megan said, patting her hand. "Trust me."

"So there are two possible destinations. We can head to find The Kid's Girlfriend and hope her captor gives us the real location, or we can go poking around The Fragments hoping this Snoop character knows what the hell he's talking about." Mac said, summarizing.

"That's pretty much the case." The Snoop agreed. "Your slight to my capabilities aside."

     Kris closed his eyes tight, feeling everyone turn to look at him. _Sometimes a man can't follow his heart. Sometimes a man has to do what's right._ His own words floated back to him. He prayed for guidance, knowing everyone was waiting on him. _If it was you, I'd already be riding._ He had promised Adam. His decision was made; it had been made before Adam even went missing. He had written it across Adam's skin in blue powder, affirmed it his lips and hands and body. Any other choice was like trying to make a compass point south. If there was even a chance of getting to Adam before the Device was complete, he had to take it, even if the cost would haunt him for the rest of his days.

"I'm going to The Fragments." Kris said firmly.

"Then I'll go after Katy. I won't be much use on foot, and in The Fragments there's no telling when you'll have to leave the horses." Mac said, in his no-nonsense manner.

"Thank you." Kris interrupted him. "But you don't have to-"

"Nonsense, Arkansas. I'll bring back your special lady, just you wait. Just invite me to the wedding." Sarver said, smacking him on the shoulder. Kris flushed, but there was no sense in trying to convince Mac otherwise.

"I'm with you, Kid." Daniel said, moving to stand with Kris. "Said I would. Didn't know we were heading to the Fragments, but I'm a man of my word."

"You don't have to come. I'll be fine."

"Shit, Kris. Belltollers? You'll need all the help you can get."

"Me too." Matty chimed in. "I'm coming with you, Arkansas, and don't even try and talk me out of it."

"Reckon someone should ride with the Sheriff." Megan said, moving to stand beside Mac, who smiled at her admiringly.

Kris opened his eyes and looked at his rag-tag friends. Lil was crying silently, Scott had his arms around her. He kissed her, aiming for her forehead but landing near her eye. She smiled though her tears and patted his face. Allison just looked terrified and unsure.

"I want to help." She said. "I won't get in the way, and I'm pretty handy with a colt, if I do say so myself."

"She ain't lyin'." Megan said. "Saw her duel a fellow what tried to get fresh. Had him down before he even drew."

"I'd be honored if you'd ride with us, miss." Mac said, offering his hand. Allison walked next to Megan, puffing her chest out proudly.

"Lucky man." Daniel said, which made both Mac and Allison blush. "That just leaves you, Snoop."

Kris and Anoop both looked up at the Reverend incredulously.

"Yeah, Mr. Snoop. You're coming with us, right? You know about the Sons of the West. And you've studied the maps." Matty said, fiddling with his hat and looking hopeful.

"Matt, he doesn't have to." Kris said, trying to hush Matt.

"I hadn't planned on-" The Snoop started, but Allison cut him off.

"Extra, Extra!" Allison called. "Read all about it! While women, injured men, and piano players ride off to rescue Dr. Lambert, The Snoop stays at home and drinks sweet tea."

"Krissy the Kid saves the country, friends honored with Parade. The Snoop goes back to fabricating news stories." Megan chimed in, enjoying the look of horror on The Snoop's face.

"That's not very nice!" The Snoop said, but he was shaking his head. "Alright, alright. You shamed me into it, ladies. Let's ride."

***

  
"Aiiiiiiii!" Allison shrieked as a hand clapped around her shoulders.

"Don't nobody move." The gunman said, cocking his pistol under her chin. "Drop that shotgun, Lawman." Mac's shirt was already red with the blood. He'd shot down five other outlaws already, most of which at close range. Something in his gut told him that only one guard would have been too much to hope for.

"Mac?" Allison whimpered, her eyes wide with terror.

"Easy, easy fella. I'm putting it down." Mac said, slowly lowering the weapon to the ground. "We're just passing through. No need to get hasty."

"I know who you are. And why you're here so can the bullshit. Where's the Kid?"

"Heading to the Fragments." Mac said, trying to gauge his reaction. The gunman laughed triumphantly.

"Then my job's done for me. I was 'sposta kill him myself, but I guess you saved me the trouble."

"Isn't where they took Adam?" Allison asked, her chin pressing against the barrel of the gun.

"You bet your pretty pink head, sweetheart. His chances of making it there alive...well, precious, I'd say there not much better than your chances of dying a virgin. Ah, Ah, hold up there, Sheriff." The gunman trained his pistol on Mac. "Like you say, let's not be hasty."

"Actually, I think it's about past time for hasty, wouldn't you agree?" The gunman whirled around, but it was too late. Megan pulled the trigger, and the gunman's head flew back as a bullet plugged into his skull.

Allison shrieked again, wiping the splattered blood off her face.

"Shh, shhh baby girl. It's alright." Megan said, hugging the shaking Allison.

"Nice shot, Ma'am. Much obliged." Sarver tugged on his hat, and Megan rewarded him with a blushing smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, who are y'all?" A blonde woman was standing in the doorway, holding the hands of twin boys protectively. Mac flashed his badge, and she relaxed.

"Kris sent us, ma'am. Kris Allen. You might know him as -"

"KRISSY THE KID!" The two boys jumped with excitement, clapping and cheering.

"Where is he?"

"Is he here?"

"Did he really kill a howler with his bare hands?"

"I heard he has a woman in every town."

"I heart he gave his heart to a red-headed ghost."

"Is he really only as tall as me?"

Both boys were so excited that they didn't notice their mother loosening her grip on their shoulders. Mac dove past them just in time to catch her as she fainted.

***

  
**EPITAPH**

"My word, The Weekly gets its news out fast." The man waved the latest issue of the Weird West Weekly in front of Adam’s face, showing Adam that news of his kidnapping was already common knowledge.

Adam didn't reply. Instead he focused on killing the man with only his eyes. In spite of his best efforts, the bastard continued to breathe and smile that contemptible smile.

"The boys are just about done unloading your equipment. You'll be able to get working in no time."

"What makes you think I'll build your damn Device?" Adam snarled, unable to keep silent any longer.

"Ah. It speaks. I don't suppose it occurred to you that we'll send your soul straight to hell."

"Kill me. You'll kill me anyway. I won't help you."

"Thought you might say that."

"Arkansas will come for me. You don't know him like I do."

"Thought you might say that too. Unfortunately for you, we do know him, and a sight better than you. He's been wanderin' the west all these years, lookin for his lost love-"

"She's not his love! They were just friends." Adam protested, not caring how it made him sound.

"-oh they were more than friends. No man looks for a woman for ten years unless he's hankerin' for her so bad that no one else will do. Well, we found her. We let her send word to him of where she was. No doubt your man Arkansas is ridin' hard, but it ain't to save you, Doc. He's ridin' hard indeed." The bandit made an obscene gesture, leering at Adam. “

"It's not true." Adam said, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Oh, it's true. And when he gets to her, well, we'll be waiting for him. His welcoming committee is all in place, but how warm of a reception he gets is entirely up to you."

Adam bit his lip, trying to keep his face as still as stone.

"What's it to me if you kill my hired gun?" He said, mustering every callous thought he could in order to sound indifferent.

"That all he is to ya?" The man chuckled, his massive belly wobbling in the dim light. "Somehow I don't think you're being quite honest with me. I said we know all about the Kid. What makes you think we don't know all about you as well? Snatched you up easy enough."

"Well, you're wrong." Adam said, panic beginning to set in.

"Oh, come on Doc. I don't like to see lies coming out of that pretty little mouth of yours. In fact, if you don't get to work, we might just have to find another use for you. You're not my type, but damn, in a pinch any piece of trash would do."

"Fuck you." Adam spat, bile riding in his stomach.

"That how you're gonna talk to your dear Kristopher when he gets brought here, all tied up? You think he'll let you give him a goodbye kiss before we blow his brains out? Hope you like the taste of lipstick, boy, cause I bet his mouth will be covered with it. I bet he'll smell like a bitch in heat, too. Man, after ten years..."

"I'll do it." Adam said, ashamed with himself and unable to continue listening. "I'll do it if you let him alone. Just let him alone, he and his girl. I'll help you if let them live."

"Well, ain't that sweet. It's almost like true love, isn't it? But of course it's not. Even if it's all the same when the lights out, God's still watching, isn't he?"

"Just show me to the lab." Adam said, his will resolute. Nothing this bastard said mattered anyway. He wouldn't make it out of this alive, but maybe Kris and his girl could have a chance at a happy life. Granted, who knows how many people his Device would have to kill to give them that chance? Still, agreeing to work was the only way to stall for time. Part of him still wanted to believe that Kris was out there, making his way towards him, even if the chance was slim.

_"If it were me they had?"_ Adam had asked.

_"I'd already be riding."_ Kris had promised, kissing him gently.

"Dammit, Kristopher. I'm gonna hold you to it." Adam muttered, not knowing if his admonishment was a curse or a prayer.


	7. A Distant Bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris, The Snoop, Danny, and Matt head into the Fragments to find the secret lab of the Sons of the West - and hopefully Dr. Lambert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover Art by KateKat1010

 

**PROLOGUE**

     A shapeless form drifted around a thin, cool column of stone, wrapping itself around the base. The rock felt solid, impermeable, and the shape detached from it. Desperate for life, it came across a weak-looking plant and stretched itself across the surface. Warmer, but not quite right.

     The form perked up, almost like a prairie dog at attention, sniffing the air. The form grew in anticipation, its edges becoming firmer. It was shaped like a human now, like a veiled bride, robed in translucent white.

     Nearby, an antelope limped. Her leg was bleeding, and the Belltoller could smell the blood. It raised its arms and pulled back the veil from its face, fingers so long they looked more like tentacles. Behind the veil was a face with no eyes. Only thin, slotted nostrils and a circular mouth. The mouth moved, stretching larger.

     The call of the Belltoller rang out, a crisp B-flat ringing in the night air. Like a church bell, it reverberated off the nearby rock formations. Like a church bell, it called the faithful to service.

     The lucky Belltoller moved in for the kill, losing her shape and becoming mist once more. It entered the antelope through her nostrils, and the other Belltollers that had been summoned followed suit.

     The antelope cried out as she fell, her painful bleating a stark contrast to the beautiful sound of the tolling bells.

**  
The Tale**

     The four men bound for The Fragments were hastily packing their bags. Kris didn't really know what he needed. Their destination was unsure, and unlike previous excursions, Adam wasn't along to provide guidance or turn up with some ingenious gadget that solved all their problems. Instead, Kris packed what he had at his disposal. Guns. He strapped his shotgun to his back and made sure both pistols were safely in their holsters. He pulled on two bandoleers, feeling ill- prepared for his mission. He mounted up, and walked Conway over to where Lil was standing with a bag full of provisions from the kitchen.

"You really should take this." Lil handed the familiar tome to Kris. "Belltollers are nothing to be trifled with."

"Thanks." Kris said, flipping open to the Belltoller page. The words swam in his vision. He had to blink several times before his eyes would focus. It was a short entry. Everyone knew that Belltollers were among the most feared creatures that had come out of the Great Trembling. Unsurprisingly, no one knew very much about them. The Bestiary mentioned that they looked like ghosts, and used their bell-like cry to summon more of their kind. Adam had handwritten in the margin that he theorized that Belltollers ate their prey from the inside out, leaving hollow husks of flesh behind with trails of blood near the nasal cavities.

     Kris didn't want to think about Adam studying these monsters. The idea of Adam bending low over the husk of what had once been a human being made him shiver. He closed his eyes lightly, trying to conjure up a happier image.

"You need to sleep, Arkansas." Daniel said, looking concerned. "When's the last time you got any shut eye?"

Kris thought about it. It had been two nights ago, on the open trail on the way back from rescuing Matty.

"I'll be fine." He said. "I can sleep in the saddle. The Snoop can lead for awhile."

Daniel and The Snoop exchanged glances.

"Well, we've got to rest the horses in a few hours anyway. I'll sleep then." Kris offered. When no one moved, Kris sighed loudly and spurred Conway into a trot, satisfied by the sound of hoof beats that his friends were following.

***

  
     Kris drifted in and out of sleep as they rode. Several times, Matty had leaned over and shaken him awake to deal with rough terrain or because he was slipping dangerously to the right in his sleep.

"I'm awake." Kris said as Matty tapped him on the shoulder again.

"You should see this."

Kris forced his eyes open and grimaced. Storm clouds were rolling in on the horizon, heavy and swirling. They were the color that made every cowboy's stomach drop, a sickly green-blue.

"We're not that far from the northern Fragments." Kris called ahead to Daniel and Anoop. "There might be a cave, or some cover."

     The four men edged their horses into a frantic canter. A storm out on the open prairie was a fearsome thing. On these late August days, storms could spring out of nowhere. This one was blowing hot and heavy from the southwest, and Kris was leading his party right into the thick of it.

Matt yelped as his straw fedora blew off of his head and disappeared amid the tumbleweeds and dust behind them.

"Hang onto your hats, men, literally." Daniel shouted, pushing his wide brimmed preacher-cap onto his head.

"Too late!" Matt lamented. Kris could barely see straight in the dust. As if in answer to his prayers, the sky opened up, quelling the dust storm. Instead, Kris found himself cursing the rain which drenched the landscape. Within seconds, every inch of him was soaked through. Kris felt as though he might drown in his boots, feeling the water begin to collect around his toes.

"Up ahead! Anoop said. "There's an outcropping of rock. I think we could huddle beneath it and wait for the storm to pass.

     The rocky ledge was actually a fragment that had toppled. Kris thought perhaps it had landed there when the meteor had struck the tower, tumbling over the natural needles of stone that were once the most distinguishing feature of the landscape. Kris retreated under it. It was a small space for four men and four horses.  Kris leaned back against the rock, lightly closing his eyes and listening to the storm howl around them. Even though they were protected by the brunt of the rain from the worst of the storm, the wind blew in a constant mist. Kris pulled up his bandanna, trying to keep the rain off his face.

"Here." Matt said, shifting so that his body was between Kris and the storm. "You need to sleep. You won't be of use to anyone if you lose it, or fall off Conway cause you're exhausted."

Kris was too tired to speak. He just looked up at Matt gratefully and tried to smile before drifting off.

     It was early evening by the time he woke, smelling smoke from the fire that had been started while he slept. The sky was clear, showcasing the expanse of the universe in a palate of blues and yellows. The storm had brought with it a cold front, and Kris could feel the first nips of autumn at the heels of summer. It would be an early fall this year. He walked out from beneath their shelter and looked up, finding his bearing after riding off their selected path to get to shelter. Southwest. That's where Adam would be, according to The Snoop's best guess. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of a bell and shivered. It sounded like a dinner bell, but Kris suspected it was nothing of the sort.

"Come sit by the fire, Kris. We've got to wait till morning anyway. " Matt said.

"I think we should ride. It's light enough with the moon, and we lost time." Kris said, full of energy after his nap.

"No way, Arkansas." Danny said, biting into a bit of leftover roast that Lil had sent along. "The ground is wet, the terrain is unfamiliar and uneven, and I don't like the feel of this place at night."

Kris looked to Anoop, who was hastily making notes in his journal, cigarillo hanging limply from his mouth like it was smoking itself.

"Sorry Kid." He mumbled, not even bothering to loop up from his book. "Democracy's a bitch when she's not on your side."

Kris kicked a rock in frustration and howled in pain as the stone ricocheted off a boulder and came back to hit him in the shin.

"Fragments -1, Arkansas -Zero" The Snoop said as he smirked and smoked and scratched his notes in the light of their campfire.

***

  
     There were plenty of things to be afraid of in the Dakota Territories. Gellipers, the dreaded Adris Dragon, the foul Castrophs...all were fearsome in their own ways. Sometimes when thumbing through the Badlands Bestiary late at night, as Kris happened to be doing as his trail mates slept, one forgot the less murderous critters that habituated the area.  So when Kris lifted his face from the book just in time to see a skunk lifting its tail in his direction, it was understandable that he was surprised. One might forgive him shrieking like a girl and waking his sleeping friends. Given the smell that was wafting off Kris, well, one might forgive them too.

     Kris held his breath as he ducked beneath the water, trying to wash the smell off in the hour before dawn. Just upstream, Matty scrubbed away on his clothes, covering them with sand and agitating them roughly in the current.

     The book was a hopeless case; Kris could only hope that the odor would fade in time. He wished idly for soap and was struck with the memory that his last bath had been a much more pleasurable experience. Kris then proceeded to take more time than strictly necessary in the river, trying his best to banish the thought from his mind lest his companions decide he'd taken an unnatural liking to skunk musk.

"You about done in there." Danny called. "Or am I gonna have to come get you out?"

Kris sighed in relief at the sound of Danny's voice. Problem solved.

     They got on the trail again, Kris still sopping wet and slightly skunky. Anoop led them due south, skirting the eastern edge of the Fragments for about twenty miles. While the others chatted amiably, Kris remained mostly silent. Though he was grateful for the assistance, he felt that if he started to talk he would pour out all his fears , including ones that were better left unspoken. The daylight burned fast, Kris trying to ignore the chaffing of his wet clothes along his thighs. He had never been prone to saddle sores, but they were tough to avoid if your skin was wet and your pace was hard.

"It's time we start heading a little west." Anoop said, edging his morgan stallion, Tarheel, alongside Conway a little past four pm, if Kris gauged the sun correctly. It was low in the sky, starting to disappear behind the Fragments and the western Black Hills. "We could camp here for the night and head into the Fragments in the morning." It was a gentle suggestion, but Kris bristled anyway.

"We've wasted too much daylight already." He said, leaning forward in the saddle. "Let's get in as far as we can before the light's gone. Then we'll stop, but just until we can see enough to ride without the horses breaking a leg." Kris half expected Anoop to stop and call another vote, but this time the reporter acquiesced, letting Kris set the pace. Kris hopped it was on a count of his intimidating manner, but suspected it was because the longer they stalled, the more likely it was that Adam complete the Device. The ramifications of that eventuality occurring were too dire to consider, and no one wanted to be held accountable for it coming to pass. Anoop led them a little further south, looking for a path marked on his map as a former route through the needles. Kris could see it, a small crack in the sheer wall of stone.

"No telling if the path will even work anymore" Anoop said, folding the map away. "No one's mapped the Fragments since before the Trembling. A few have tried-"

     Kris waved his hand to stop Anoop. There wasn't any point in getting a case of the flibbity-gibbits right before they rode into a real life nightmare. The four men rode up to the crack in the wall. It was so low that they had to dismount to go through. Kris was about to go first, leading Conway, when Daniel roughly grabbed his shoulder.

"Hold on, Arkansas." Daniel said in a harsh whisper. "Something about this don't seem right to me."

"There's a whole lot about this place that ain't right. It's not gonna keep me from goin'in."

"No, nothing like that. Not supernatural like. More like...you know, back in the old days before I was a priest. We'd plant ourselves like this, waiting to bushwhack folks we knew was coming. Well, those Sons of the West know you're coming. Don't you think they'd send somebody, a sharpshooter maybe, to watch over the most likely route?"

"Preacher, we don't have the time to look for shadows what ain't there." Kris argued. "If you're comin’, then follow me."

      With a resolute expression, Kris walked through the crack, tugging on Conway's reins to follow. She whinnied, pulling back against the lead. Kris turned back to her in surprise. Conway was an obedient horse, she had never once failed him. But the closer she got to the crack, the wider her eyes got, till they were rolling in fear. She even gave a little buck, pulling back on the lead with all her might.

"I don't think she wants to go in there, Kris." Matty said, hopping off Kalamazoo and walking over to Conway. "Are you scared, girl?"

"She's gotta. Dammit!" Kris said, the lead getting tangled up in his fists. "Conway, git!"

"We don't even know if the horses will be able to maneuver in there, Kris! Most parts of The Fragments are impassible by horseback, that's the other reason no one's mapped it." Anoop said, trying to reason.

"I think she's scared for good reason." Daniel chimed in. "I've got a bad feeling about this place. The longer I stand here the worse it gets. I'm thinkin' it is unnatural."

"DAMN IT!" Kris shouted again, to the world at large. "Damn all of you. Stay here, stay with the horses. I'm going in, alone if I have to, and I'm going now."

     Kris gave each of his friends a long, hard look. His eyes were swimming with tears of frustration and exhaustion that he wouldn't allow to fall. He turned away, leaving Matty to take care of Conway and waked through the small tunnel of rock and took in the view. The rocks on the other side of the wall were tall and jagged. The southern Fragments were even more foreboding than the northern portion. They were closer to the crater, so the effects of the disaster were magnified. It looked like the jagged jaws of the earth were snarling at the heavens in angry protest.

     Kris heard the click of the trigger a second before he felt the impact of the slug knock the hat clean off his head. He threw himself backwards into the tunnel, ducking back just in time to avoid another shot. He had caught a glimpse of his assailant peeking out over the rock. No doubt he was moving west to get a clear shot at Kris as he hid in the tunnel.  He heard another shot, coming from behind him. It was Daniel, firing almost over Kris's shoulder.

"Didn't think I'd pass up the opportunity to say 'Told ya so,' did ya?" Daniel said, squaring his shoulders and firing again. Kris and Daniel exchanged glances and as one, strode forward into the canyon. Two men and four guns unleashed a rain of bullets that made the downpour the day before seem like an April shower. When the dust from their storm had cleared, the gunman lay dead, not from a bullet, but because his body was impaled upon a jagged spire of rock. Evidently he had lost his footing in the fray.

"Thank you, Daniel." Kris said, clasping him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, by the way, for screamin'. I'm just out of sorts, I'm not myself."

"Hey. It's alright. Wise man told me once that love is never wrong. If this is what you gotta do for someone you love, then I'm going to help you see it through. No matter what."

Kris's breath stopped. Did Daniel _know_? Or guess? Or was he simply speaking of brotherly love?

"Thanks, Daniel." He stammered again. "For everything."

"No problem, Arkansas." Daniel said, smiling at him. "Though do me a favor and call me Danny. All my friends used to, and I'd like to think of you as a friend."

"Yeah, sure thing Danny."

Anoop and Matt came walking through the tunnel next, Matt looking sullen and resigned.

"What's happening?" Kris asked, surprised to see them in spite of Danny's presence.

"Matty wants to tell you good luck. We had a talk, and I think it would be best if someone stayed with the horses. No telling what shape Adam, or any of us will be in if we make it out. And who knows what will be following us from the middle of the Fragments. We might need to make a fast get a way. If we just leave them here...who knows what might happen."

Kris walked over to his friend Matt, who obviously felt like he was being left behind.

"That's very brave of you, to stay all by yourself." He said quietly.

"I woulda followed you, you know?" Matt said, looking down at Kris as though it was the last time they'd see each other.

"Aw, hell, Matty. I know that. Hey, when we get back to Westport we should write a song together about this, don't you think? Maybe we can get Allison to sing it on her next circuit. You'll be a famous song writer."

"I think he's well on his way to that." Anoop said, mouth twitching into a knowing smile as Matty brightened. "I made sure he had enough guns and ammo should anyone come crawlin' around."

"Matty, if we're gone more than two days, well, you saddle up and ride back to town. Tell Mac and the others not to come lookin' neither." Kris said, biting his lip as the smile slid from Matty's face. "I'm sorry, but it needed to be said." Kris hugged Matt, who sounded a little weepy but returned to the horses nonetheless.

"Mr. Snoop, if you don't want to come either I understand. This ain't hardly your business-"

"You're damn straight it's my business. How much do you think the weekly will pay me for firsthand knowledge like this? It's a chance of a life time. Why, I could even write a serial about it. How 'bout it, Kid, I could put your face all over the penny novels?"

"Let's talk after we get out of here alive with the Doc." Kris said, laughing in spite of his grim mood. "We've got a whole lotta territory to cover and not much time to cover it in."

"Well we can't search every inch of it." Anoop said, pulling out his journal again. "But I thought of something when going through my files on the Fragments. " He flipped open to a dog-eared page and pointed to a hand-drawn map.

"There. Right in the middle of where the Belltollers are supposed to haunt, there used to be a Sioux village. Don't know what remains of it, after all this." He gestured, waving at their surroundings. "But maybe it's got something to do with the Belltollers. And maybe that's where the Sons of the West have set up shop. Certainly no place I'd rather not be - a Belltoller infested mass-grave."

"Sounds like a good place to keep a secret." Danny agreed.

"What are we waiting for then, lead on, Snoop." Kris said, and fell into place next to Danny as Anoop started on the path towards the old village.

***

  
     It was dark before the found the first traces of the old village, a small trading outpost that had partially collapsed. Even so, it looked like it had recently been slept in.

"Could stay here the night." Danny pointed out hopefully, but Kris shook his head.

"No reason to sleep now that we don't need to rest the horses. Let's rest awhile, have some roast, and then press on."

"As long as you stay downwind of me while you're eating." Anoop said, holding his nose. "You still smell like you slept with a dead howler."

     After a brief rest and a meal, Kris motioned for them to start moving again. Anoop lit a torch, carrying it high so that the men didn't miss their footing in the dark. Danny followed close behind, leaving Kris to bring up the rear.

     It was after midnight when Kris heard it again, just as he had the night before - a crisp, clear tone sounding once in the air. It was far off, but not as distant as the night before. After a moment, he heard another sound, a man's scream. Kris turned towards the sound, about to run to the man' s aid, but Danny clasped him on the shoulder.

"He's already done. Besides, he was probably no friend of ours. Better keep moving if they're on the prowl."

Danny didn't need to elaborate. Another sharp clang ringing though the night.

"No longer mourn for me when I am dead, then you shall hear the surly sullen bell give warning to the world that I am fled from this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell." Anoop said to break the silence.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asked, face as white as the moon.

"A poem, I think." Kris said, trying to recount where he had heard it.

"It's a sonnet, actually. Shakespeare. When you study to become a writer you read a lot of Shakespeare. It just popped into my head when I heard it."

"Yeah, well, anything else like that pops into your head you make sure to leave it there." Danny said, shivering. "It's downright ungodly."

"So's that thing." Anoop said, a finger pointing off to the north. Kris turned to look and literally froze when he saw what was being indicated.

    A ... shape was drifting through the air, like a sail cut free from its boat. It was almost see-through, though. It reminded Kris of the curtains in his mother's house, drifting in the breeze. It was advancing southeast and Kris hoped for a moment that it would pass them by, but as it got closer, the form seemed to hesitate.  The form grew more rigid, taking shape. Kris could make out arms and a head, like a human, but indistinct, as if the figure were wearing sacred vestments. Its head was veiled, but as it approached, the arms slid the veil back off its head.

Danny screamed in horror as the eyeless visage of the Belltoller came into view.

"What do we do?" Anoop asked, clearly petrified. "Run?"

Danny pulled out his six-gun and fired into the shape. The bullets whizzed right through it.

"Worth a try." He said, before falling down on his knees and beginning to pray. Oddly enough, the Belltoller was headed right for the kneeling preacher. Not thinking about his own safety, Kris threw himself in front of Danny, spreading his arms wide.

"Run, both of you." Kris said, squinching his eyes shut against his impending doom. _Adam, I'm so sorry._ He thought, trying to focus on the last time he had seen him, wanting his last thought on earth to be of the eccentric man he had come to love.

"Kris?" Anoop said tentatively, and Kris chanced to open one eye. The Belltoller was still there, hovering not five feet from him. It seemed to sniff the air, pulling its hood back even further. It quivered and backed up slightly, before turning its attention towards Anoop. It floated a few feet in his direction, and Anoop reflexively thrust the torch in front of him. The Belltoller hesitated again, sniffing, as if it couldn't understand what was in front of him. It tried to float around Kris, towards Danny, but Kris was quick to block it. It hissed a bit, a low angry sound issuing forth from its perfectly round mouth.

Anoop started laughing all of a sudden, the sound out of place in the terrifying situation.

"Is this really the time for levity, Snoop?" Danny asked, still terrified as the thing tried to find a way around Kris.

"It's the smell." Anoop said. "The thing can't get past the smell of the skunk. Or the smoke from my torch. Watch." He stepped bravely towards the Belltoller and brandished his torch. The Belltoller moved away, sniffing as if confused.

"Well that's just great for you. Guess I'm just the only thing on the menu." Danny said, cowering behind Kris.

"The Book!" Kris said. "Danny, get the Badlands Bestiary from my pack."

"I don't want to read about it, I already know what it is!" Danny howled. "You two are not helping."

"The skunk sprayed the book. Hold on to it."

Danny rifled through Kris's back and found the Badlands Bestiary. It was positively rank, not even having the benefit of a river bath. Danny held out the book towards the Belltoller.

"BE GONE!" He shouted, casting his hand in front of him. The Belltoller pulled its hood back up and moaned, its edges becoming soft and shapeless once more. Properly banished, it turned from the group of men and floated away, presumably to seek prey that didn't smell of smoke or skunk.

The three men stood for a moment as if shocked to still be alive.

"Be gone?" Anoop asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I always wanted to do that. You know, real fire and brimstone." Danny said, mimicking the pose as if the Bestiary were the Holy Bible.

"BE GONE!" Shouted Kris, shaking in laughter, and soon all three were joining in. It really shouldn't have been that funny, Kris thought, but being five feet from death and living to tell the tale had a funny way of making any situation seem more bearable.

***

  
"Well I guess that is how they keep the Belltollers at bay." Anoop said, peeking over a ridge.

     Kris's eyes went wide as he looked down into a valley of sorts. It must have been beautiful, once, and still retained a bit of its former splendor. The natural stone formations twisted and stretched towards the sky. Before the Trembling, the grayish black stone would have been set off by green pines and ferns. Now, it was all white dust and large shards of the Tower, wrapped with veins of the cobalt blue Devilstone. It would have been peaceful, but for the inferno that surrounded a few log buildings. There were men tending to it, heaping timber onto the flame to keep it burning into the night, making sure the piles didn't collapse towards the buildings. There was only one entrance into the ring, guarded by a burly man in a white linen suit. His face looked terrifying in the orange glow of the flame, shimmering with sweat from the heat.

"So how is this going to happen?" Danny asked, looking as though he was trying to figure out the path of least resistance.

"Wish Adam was here." Kris muttered. "With us. To think of something. I bet if he was here he'd pull out some sort of vanishing powder that would hide us till we get close enough to shoot."

"Or a gun that could shoot pure Devilstone into the fire, where it would blow up." Anoop said.

"Or build some kind of bridge over the flames so we could attack from both sides at once."

"These are all really good ideas. " Kris said wistfully. "I just wish they could work."

"Well." Anoop said, pointing to a blue vein of Devilstone near the fire. "That vein is awfully close. If I could get to it with a torch-"

"-That whole wall would explode, bringing down that rocky ledge-" Danny continued, excitedly.

"-Onto the fire, so I could take on the guard from the front while you two seak in back, taking care of the helpers." Kris finished. Yeah, that would be perfect. But without cover, I don't think you'd get that close." He fished through his pack absentmindedly. Other than his other gun, he didn't see anything very helpful. Kris started to close up the pack when he saw the note from the pouch of herbs that had waylaid the Howlers on his last excursion.

"Burn me."

"I've got it." Kris said, grinning and pulling out the two remaining cotton rolls that Adam had made before they had gone to rescue Matty. "Let's get a little closer."

They crept down the side of the canyon, being careful to extinguish their own torch before moving in the open.

"On three, Danny's gonna toss these into the fire near the Devilstone vein. In about ten seconds, the area should be so full of smoke no one will be able to see Anoop make towards the vein. He can light the torch on fire, and toss it towards the vein. As soon as the vein explodes, that rocky ledge will come tumbling down, probably taking out a few hostile men in the process. You guys have got to stand clear until the rubble settles." Kris said as he was checking his gun to make sure it was fully loaded.

In the distraction, I'll sneak up front and take out the armed guard. More guards will probably come out of the building in back, so look sharp. We'll meet up at the front entrance. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Nice knowin' ya, Arkansas. Just in case." The Snoop said, though clearly eager to get on with the fireworks.

"God Bless." Danny said, offering a stiff handshake.

"See you on the other side." Kris said, and began his three count. "1...2......3"

     Among the billowing smoke, Kris could see Anoop running to the ring of fire, Danny carefully training his gun on the fire-handlers in case anyone saw him. He was clear of the vein by a good ten feet when he tossed the torch and ran like hell. Within seconds, a deafening "BOOM" pounded Kris's eardrums, knocking him flat on impact. There was a tremendous crunching sound as the cliff above the vein gave way, raining down rocks onto the bewildered Sons of the West. With a glance over his shoulder to make sure Anoop and Danny were alright, Kris turned to survey the damage. Several other loud explosions went off, and Kris realized that Devilstone was tumbling down from the cliff into the flames. It provided an even greater distraction as the men around the fire tried to dodge the shattering rocks.

He made his way to the front of the ring and was astounded to see that the guard was still on his feet, still facing the entrance. He was well trained, a former soldier by the looks of him. Probably a Confederate vet out of work and with nowhere else to turn.

Kris murmured a prayer, asking God to forgive him for laying another man low. He figured that God had grown tired of his constant requests, but it never stopped Kris asking.

He stepped forward out of the billowing smoke, hand over his gun. The guard saw him, and they stared at each other for a few moments, as if daring the other to move. Kris waited, watching the sweat trickle down the guards forehead. The two of them were locked in a trance, ignoring the chaos and the screaming and gunfire around them as Anoop and Danny stormed into the ring over the rubble of the cliff.

The guard twitched, making for his gun. Faster than a whip crack, Kris pulled his gun and fired. The man wavered a moment and then fell to the ground with a resounding thud, gun still unfired in his hand.

Kris stepped over his body, taking a moment to kick his pistol into the flames before heading into the fracas.

"Head on in!" Danny shouted, both guns blazing. "We've got it."

They did too. Anoop and Danny fought back to back, a whirling dance of death to anyone that dared come near them.

Kris charged the door to the largest building, opening fire on the first two men he saw, careful to leave one alive.

"Where's Lambert." Kris said, picking up the wounded man. He was clearly a scientist, not used to fighting. The man shook with fear, but kept silent. "Tell me where he is or I'm going to let the Belltollers have you." Kris threatened.

"Boss has him in back. Tied him up when the fighting started." The scientist said, stuttering.

"Bless your soul." Kris said before throwing the man aside and finishing him off. Taking advantage of the cover, he reloaded before moving into the next room.

A woman jumped out from behind a desk and shot at him, missing his head by inches.

"Shit." Kris cursed, running towards her. No way in hell he was going to shoot down a woman, even if she was wielding a shotgun as if born behind the sights. Once in range, he shot the weapon three times till she dropped it, useless, on the floor.

"Get on the ground, hands over your head." He shouted. She complied, and he thought fast, ripping off his shirt-sleeve to tie her up with.

"Get on that chair and don't you move a muscle. If you're not sitting here when I come out of the next room, I swear to God I will not rest until every last goddamn one of you is bleeding from a hole between your eyes."

Kris had only felt so ruthless once before, when he had caught up with the gang that had attacked Katy's caravan, years after she had unknowingly married one of them. While she had been bearing the bastard's children, Kris had been killing his compatriots without mercy.

"He said you'd be coming." Kris heard a voice behind him and slowly wheeled to face it. The husky voice belonged to an even huskier gentleman who was holding pointing a gun right at Kris's chest.

" I thought for sure you'd go after your pretty little lady friend but I reckon I had you wrong. Guess she don't have the right equipment for a filthy piece of trash like you." The man grabbed himself profanely. "Can't say I blame you though. The doctor has such a nice, soft mouth when he's not trying to bite. Had to teach him not to bite, you see. Maybe your little prick don't take up so much room. Hell, maybe you like that kind of thing."

"Shut your goddamn mouth." Kris said, knowing the man had him outdrawn but not willing to listen to his disgusting speech any longer.

"Truth hurts, don't it, Sodomite?" The man spat, his saliva the color of stagnant water. "Tell you what. You turn round right now, call off your posse, and I'll let the Doctor live. Hell, you can stay here as our guests till he's done. After he hands me my bomb, hell, you can go off into the hills and fuck each other senseless for all I care.

  
"Fuck you." Kris heard someone say, and the husky man slumped towards the ground, a metal file protruding from the back of his neck. Kris shot him anyway, ignoring the screams of the woman in the chair. In fact, the building could have burned away around him and he wouldn't have noticed, for Adam was standing in the doorway looking for all the world like he'd just discovered his hands.

"Adam." Kris said, taking a step forward. "Are you..."

"Times a wastin' baby." Adam said, stepping right on top of his dead captor to get to Kris. "We've only got about ten minutes before this entire canyon goes up in a blue inferno."

"The Device?" Kris asked. “You’re going to set off the Device?”

"Yes. Well, modified, yes. More contained. But I'll explain later. Right now -" Adam tilted Kris's chin back and bent low. Kris closed his eyes in anticipation.

"Guys, let's get goin'. “ Danny said, appearing at the door with his gun still smoking. Adam gave Kris a stare of disbelief. “Kris, you got something in your eye?”

"You brought the Reverend?" Adam asked, incredulously.

"Good friends are hard to find." Kris said, grinning. "Believe me, I ought to know."

"What are you going to do about me?" The woman asked, rising from her chair. "You can't leave me here to die."

"Why the hell not?" Adam asked. "You worked with all the male scientists on this project, you can die with them too, Kara." They exchanged angry stares. Kris could tell there was no love lost between the two of them, but there was something else there. Respect, maybe.

"I don't know about that, Doctor." Danny said, looking as unsure as he sounded. "Don't think it's right..."

"Just bring her." Anoop said, appearing at the door. "We don't have time for this."

"Who the hell are you?" Adam asked, completely surprised.

"I'm Anoop Desai." Anoop said, smiling brilliantly. "But you might know me as The Snoop."

"The SNOOP?" Adam yelped. "Give me that metal file, I'll stab him too, calling me mad. Now half the country thinks-"

"Adam!" Kara interrupted again. "BOMB."

"She's right." Kris said, taking his hand. "We've gotta move, Adam. Lots of time to talk on the way home."

"Then by all means, take me home." Adam said, shooing everyone out in front of him.

***

  
**EPITAPH:**

_We've had some trouble getting in contact with our ace reporter, The Snoop. Apparently he's off tracking down a story. In lieu of his usual news, this week we have a song that The Snoop wired us, by the famous former-mute in Westport. Apparently it's already a hit in the taverns in the Dakota Territories, so here are the lyrics so you can sing along next time you find yourself in those parts._

** _THE BALLAD OF ARKANSAS THE GUNMAN_ ** __

_Words and Music by Matt Giraud_

  
_Gather round, you western men_   
_Bring your whiskey and your beer_   
_Got a tale to tell of the best of men_   
_So lend me your ears_

_He's a legendary giant though he's not that tall_   
_An angel sent from heaven we call "Arkansas"_   
_He's Krissy, Krissy the Kid_

_Now the Kid first came to Westport_   
_When the Doctor bid him ride_   
_So the half-mad Doctor Lambert_   
_Now has Krissy by his side_

_They fight for right, and fight for truth_   
_And one fateful day they cured a helpless mute_   
_He's Krissy, Krissy the Kid!_

_The Kid once saved a _ _preacher man_ _,_   
_Danny Gokey_ _ was his name!_   
_Since Danny met our hero then,_   
_He's never been the same_

_He started a foundation to help out the poor_   
_stands up for civil rights and I know for sure_   
_It's cause of Krissy, Krissy the Kid!_

_The Kid saved the famous Allison_   
_From an awful Hobbler cave_   
_Now a hundred thousand Hobbler men_   
_Lie a mouldrin' in their grave_

_With one quick shot from his trusty gun_   
_He laid to rest ever god-damn one_   
_He's Krissy, Krissy the Kid!_

_Gather round, ye western men_   
_And help me sing his praise_   
_For I'm the man who couldn't speak_   
_Now my song goes on for days_

_He's a legendary giant but he's not that tall_   
_An angel sent from heaven we call "Arkansas"_   
_He's Krissy, Krissy the Kid._ __

If you're an evil-doer better run for the door  
He's ten feet full of man packed into five-foot-four  
He's Krissy, Krissy the Kid!

  
"Fuck" Kris swore, shoving the newest version of the Weekly into the box next to the rocker. He only used the word as a last resort, when all other words failed him and only then when he really and truly meant it. " Ten feet full of man packed into five-foot-four? I'm at least five-six!"

"I think you have a fan." Adam said,  moving to stand behind Kris. He rested his chin on the top of Kris's head and sighed contentedly. 

"I think we should put his real vocal chords back." Kris said.

Adam just laughed, curling his arms around his famous lover and kissing the top of his head.

"It's good to be home, Kristopher."

"Wasn't home without you." Kris replied, trying to ignore the strains of "Krissy The Kid" that Adam was humming in his ear as his hands slid lower to Kris's belt.

***

  
"When am I gonna see him, Mac?" Katy asked. The town was a buzz with the news that earlier that evening, Krissy the Kid had rode back into town with the Doctor in tow.

"We'll pay him a visit tomorrow, Ma'am." Sarver promised. "Let them settle in for the night. They've had a long and grueling go of it."

"I've waited for ten years. Didn't even know I was waiting." Katy protested, sniffling a little. "Now I remember it all, and he's only-"

"What's waited ten years will wait another night." Mac said, patting her shoulder. "I know he's gonna be real happy to see you. Why, he carries around your picture in his vest pocket, he does. Talks about you all the time. Why, if I had a quarter for every time he said to me 'Mac Sarver, ol Buddy, I don't need even look at any of these dancin' girls. I got a gal, Katy is her name, and one day I'll find her again.' Why, I'd have a whole fist full of quarters."

"You're a sweet thing, Mac." Katy said, sitting back down and picking up her embroidery.

"Tomorrow, I promise." Mac said, tugging on his hat. "I'll come by around mid-day"

"Thank you, sir." Katy said, dropping a curtsy as Mac Sarver took his leave.


	8. Female Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safely back home, Adam worries that the reappearance of a face from Kris's past will nip their relationship in the bud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by JaneScott Cover art by KateKat1010

 

 

 

**Prologue:**

_Kristopher Allen loves Katy O’Connell_

    They were supposed to be practicing penmanship by copying sentences from the board and critiquing each other. When Katy saw what was written on the slate, she blushed a deep shade of crimson. All her friends teased her about having to share a slate with a boy, but there were odd numbers in the class and Miss Abdul had pulled her aside and asked if she would mind sharing with Kris, since he was the smallest and therefore the least threatening.

“So how’s my handwriting?” Kris asked, smiling at her. His eyes were big and brown and soft, and they twinkled mischievously. She could tell he was teasing her, but his eyes revealed something else too – that he was honestly hoping she might feel the same way.

“It’s awful,” she said honestly. Kris’s face fell, and she instantly regretted her choice of words, even if it did look like he wrote the message with his toes. “Your letters should look more like this.”

_Katy O’Connell loves Kris Allen_

She wrote, watching his eyes light up as he read the message.

“Katy.” Miss Abdul said, and Katy snapped to attention. “Why don’t you pass your slate around the room? You always have such nice handwriting.”

“I..I,” Katy stammered, feeling her heart race.

“Go on, don’t be modest,” Miss Abdul said. “Bring it up front and pass it around.”

Katy rose obediently and held out her hand for the slate. Kris moved to hand it to her, and Katy could swear she saw him wink. At the last second, he dropped the slate. It fell to the ground with a loud _crack_ and broke into two pieces. Katy gasped, and a few of the smaller children “ooooooo’d.”

“Kristopher Allen!” Miss Abdul said, angrily marching to their shared desk. “How could you be so careless?”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. It just slipped out of my hands,” Kris said, wincing at the smack of the ruler on the back of his hand. Tears pricked at the corners of Katy’s eyes. He had dropped the slate on purpose just to spare her the embarrassment of showing it to her classmates, and now he was getting punished for it.

“Clean it up, Kristopher,” Miss Abdul said, returning to the head of the class. “See me at the end of the day. I’ll send your mama a note about replacing the slate.”

Katy waited for him behind the schoolhouse, waving to her friends. They all giggled at her. Katy flushed, but she didn’t care. Kris had been brave for her, she could be brave for him.

“Friends leave you behind?” Kris asked, slowing up when he saw her. “Go on ahead, Charles. If Katy’s by herself, I should at least walk her home,” he added, dismissing his best pal with a wave of his hand. Charles snickered too.

“He shouldn’t laugh,” Katy said, mildly annoyed. “He walked Mildred Thomas home all last month.” Kris didn’t say anything. Katy got nervous. When she was nervous, she talked. “I hope your hand doesn’t hurt. And I hope you don’t get in too much trouble with your momma. I…I have a nickel in my dresser at home. I could give it to you for the slate.”

“You don’t have to give me nothing,” Kris said. “But I have something I’d like to give you.” He held out his hand, fist clenched. She presented her palm, and into her waiting hand Kris dropped a small black fragment of the broken slate. “So you don’t forget,” he added.

“I won’t.” Katy said, feeling her heart rush. “Not ever.”

**The Tale:**

“Talk to me,” Adam said, laying his chin against Kris’s bare shoulder, inhaling deeply.

“Do I still smell?” Kris asked, wrinkling his nose. As soon as they had returned home, Lil had sent him to the bathtub with six jars of canned tomatoes. Adam had given him a thorough scrubbing, joking that he owed Kris a bathtime rubdown anyway.

“Mmm, like sweat and tomatoes,” Adam said, sniffing again. “I should sprinkle you with oregano.”

    Kris chuckled, planting a kiss on his nose. He began his tale, filling Adam in on the details of the adventure. How the town had rallied around him, how the church ladies had prayed and baked, how Danny’s tribe of orphan children had brought pictures they drew of Adam for “missing” posters. He tried not to spare a detail, watching Adam’s eyes rapt with attention as he soaked up all the information and made connections. Kris wondered what it must be like to possess such staggering genius, feeling like Adam was thinking about at least fifteen things at once without losing track of anything.

“Now tell me yours,” Kris said, lacing his fingers lazily though Adam’s. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the sleep that he had managed to get, while brief, did his body a world of good.

“Well, you know when they kidnapped me, and how. I assume Scott told you,” Adam started, kissing Kris’s neck and inching himself closer so that their bodies were comfortably fitted together, like spoons in a drawer.

“Yeah, that part I know. I guess what I meant was … were you treated ok? They didn’t … hurt you or nothing?” Adam abruptly stopped kissing his neck and tensed.

“What did that bastard say?”

“He made it like he’d … forced himself on you, that is to say, what you and I do.” Kris swallowed hard, clutching Adam’s hand tight against his chest.

“Shh. He didn’t do that. Threatened to … I think he wanted to. But they didn’t want to risk my co-operation. They just wanted to scare me. They said all sorts of horrible things to make me work faster. Said you weren’t coming for me.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if he’d touched you,” Kris admitted, letting the tide of fury recede. “But Adam, of course I was coming for you. You had to know that.”

“I know they had your … the woman you’ve been looking for. Ten years is a long time to want someone, Kris. Didn’t you save her first?”

Kris closed his eyes a moment, hesitating.

“I sent Mac and Megan after her. Allison went too.”

“You didn’t go yourself?”

Kris swallowed as a wave of guilt washed over him.

“Should I have? It wasn’t easy for me to let them go in my place, but I couldn’t ride out after you both. It would have taken too long.”

“Why me?”

“Adam …” Kris said, shifting on his side so that their chests were close. “Do you really need to ask?”

“No, but I really need to hear.”

“I love you.” Kris slid his hand along Adam’s bare side. Adam still watched him. Clearly Adam was not willing to let the matter rest. “Adam, I loved her once. I’m sure you’ve loved before too. I spent a good chunk of my life thinking she was out there somewhere. It was hell. Nothing tasted right, sleepin’ didn’t bring me any rest. Hell, the sun might have refused to shine and I wouldn’t have paid it any mind. But a man can only go on like that for so long before the hurt starts dull into an ache. Once you let it scar over, it doesn’t hurt so much. I won’t deny that I’d like to see her again, that I care about her. Still love her in a way, part of me always will.”

“They told me you’d go to her. That if I didn’t build their bomb they’d ambush you, kill you. That if I did, they’d let you have the life you always wanted, that you were trying so hard to have. Don’t you think that once you see her -“

“Adam,” Kris said, taking Adam’s face in his hands. “Those men don’t know jack shit.” Kris pressed his lips against Adam’s softly, relaxing into the kiss as Adam opened his mouth. Kris rolled forward so that he was laying on Adam’s chest and sighed happily into Adam’s mouth. His eyes drifted closed as he mouth drifted lower, planting small kisses along Adam’s jaw. "Can't think of anything else with you here like this. Enough serious talk."

“Didn’t think I’d ever taste you again,” Adam mumbled as Kris’s lips grazed his throat. “Thought I was going to die.”

“Some genius you are,” Kris said, sliding his spit-slicked palm between their bodies and settling himself between Adam’s legs. “Think I’d let you go without trying this at least once?” Kris gasped as he watched Adam shift to accommodate him, smiling like a schoolgirl with a secret.

“Suppose I’ll let you, just this once,” Adam said with a low, throaty chuckle, but Kris was too lost to notice the joke at his expense.

***

    Kris rose from the bathtub, glad that his skunk-scent was barely discernible. He pulled on a fresh set of clothing and sighed, content with the world. Adam had gone back up to the lab to work on repairing Scott’s goggles. Much like the skunk smell, Kris felt that the malodor of recent events was beginning to fade, leaving him with the tentative sensation that things were starting to go back to normal. At least as normal as they could be around Dr. Lambert and company.

“Mornin, Lil,” Kris said, pecking the woman on the cheek. She swatted him reproachfully.

“It’s past noon, Arkansas. But I guess you and the doc had a lot to talk about.” She raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Kris laughed, too happy to bother concealing his glee.

“Yeah, we had a lot of catching up to do.”

“Mac’s here,” Lil said. “Outside with Scott and the horses. Brought that woman too, from the picture. And her two boys. They got here about eleven, so I fed them lunch and said I’d send you out when you woke up.”

    The smile slid from Kris’s face and he felt his stomach flip-flop. Katy was here. She was right outside. Had been here while he had been … Kris’s mind wandered, imagining her taking tea in the parlor while he and Adam had been “catching up.” Kris set down his coffee and went to the window as if anticipating gunfire.

    Scott was holding Conway’s lead in the middle of the paddock, cracking the whip to make her prance merrily in a circle. Two identical blond boys were on her back. Kris would have recognized them anywhere, they looked so much like Katy had as a child. A woman moved into his field of vision – she hadn’t been visible behind the swath of curtain Lil had hung in the window.

And there she was.

    Kris’s breath caught in his throat. Katy, after all these years. Katy, after the duels and lynchings and bounties and countless miles that had brought him to this place. Katy, after ten years and two children. She was still Katy, laughing in her gingham dress, clapping her hands and cheering for her babies as Conway broke into a trot. She must have felt Kris watching her, or maybe Kris nudged the curtain and she saw the motion. Whatever the reason, she turned towards the window and narrowed her eyes. Her mouth opened in surprise, hand flying to clutch something at her neck.

    They moved at the same time. Kris tore out of the house, running towards her as if afraid someone would snatch her from his grasp yet again. Katy O’Connell, alive and well and at last. Kris didn’t know what he had expected; he realized now that just as part of him had never given up hope, part of him had long ago surrendered to the idea that he would never see her again. As the years had gone by, that part of his psyche had put down deep roots. Yanking them out was difficult, almost painful, but here she was in his arms, laughing and crying and rewriting his definition of “belief.” Kris lifted her off the ground and spun her around once before setting her back down and brushing tears and golden strands of hair from her face.

They stood there like that, looking at each other for a long moment.

“Never thought I’d see you again,” he said sheepishly.

“Didn’t remember there was a you to see,” Katy admitted through a laugh.

“But you do now? How’d that happen?”

“It was Mac. When he said you had sent him, I just about fainted dead away. I mean, I had read about you in the Weekly for the past few weeks, but it was like reading a story. Mac showing up there … well, it meant you were real.”

“Some parts of that story aren’t so nice,” Kris said quietly. “I don’t know what you’ve read…”

“Some of mine aren’t either. But none of that matters now.” She said, gesturing to her two boys. They had dismounted Conway and were sprinting towards their mother. They hid behind her a bit shyly.

“This is Christopher” she indicated the twin on her left, “And this is Alan.”

Kris chuckled. “Pleased to meet you boys. I’m Kristopher Allen.” Katy colored as her boys stepped forward to shake Kris’s hand.

“You have no idea … when I remembered your name I turned the color of a beet. But part of me was happy too, happy that I didn’t forget. Not really.”

“That makes me happy too.” Kris said honestly.

“Run along and play with Mr. MacIntrye, Boys. Mommy and her friend have a lot of catching up to do.”

_Catching up._

Kris closed his eyes and remembered the catching up he had already done that morning.

“I suppose we do,” he said, smiling and holding out his arm.

***

    Adam saddled up Glamour and trotted her down the shady path that led into town. He tried not to think of what a pretty picture Kris and Katy had made sitting on a bench beneath the maple tree, catching up on old times and new. The way she looked at him was nothing short of adoring, and the way he looked at her … Adam spurred Glamour into a faster pace and forced himself to clear his mind. Kris should be the least of his concerns.

    He had been taken to the remote laboratory in the Fragments, but as he had continued on the project Kara had been poring through his research notes and copying them into a separate notebook.

“Just in case you pull any funny business,” she had said, watching over his shoulder and making more notes as he progressed. A day before Kris had ridden in with The Snoop and Reverend Gokey, someone had arrived to pick up all of Kara’s notes on the Devilstone Device. The man had looked at Adam appraisingly, slowly examining every aspect of him as if studying what sort of man he might be. Adam didn’t think it was a sexual sort of leering, more a natural curiosity.

“Do you have any questions?” Adam had asked, venom in his voice.

“Just wanted to see what true genius looked like,” the man said, running a hand through his dark hair. His accent was strange; a Englishman who had clearly lived in the West for a long, long time. “I see it so rarely in this backwater country.

“You could always go back where you came from,” Adam offered.

“Oh, I doubt that. “ The man said, taking a small step forward into the light. “Once they through you out for treason they generally don’t want you back. Besides, there’s so much more here. More opportunity, more freedom. Why, out here a man can do just about anything he wants. Don’t you agree?” The look on his face had been all too knowing. “Certainly you’ve found that living out here affords you certain measures of privacy absent in your former locale.”

“There’s something to be said for the quiet life. If only I were back home, leading it.”

“Oh, come now, Doctor Lambert, don’t let’s be tetchy. I am merely pointing out that perhaps you and I don’t have such different aims. I want to create a free-thinking paradise, away from all the societal mores that hinder the eastern half of the country.”

“Sounds fabulous, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.”

“Well you’re one to talk. You accepted $250,000.00 to build this Device for the US Government. Completion of such a device would make my quiet little revolution quite impossible, don’t you think? I have to resort to more … drastic measures.”

“Save your moral platitudes for someone that will believe them. Tearing the country apart isn’t going to get you what you want.”

“So you say. But in America, I am just an expatriated Devilstone tycoon. In the New West, I could be anything. I could be president. I could write all the rules. In America, you are just a crackpot scientist toiling away on a secret Device that no one really believes will work, desperate to hide the more unsavory aspects of your nature from the masses. In the haven I will build, what could you be, I wonder?” The man turned and strode confidently from the lab. “Think about it, Doctor.” He called over his shoulder, smiling.

Adam had shuddered. There was something cruel about the man’s smile. It bespoke of opportunity, yes, but at what cost?

    Adam slid out of the saddle outside the jailhouse, where he knew Mac would be guarding their new prisoner. Sure enough, Mac had his feet propped up on his back table, reading the good book while Kara paced like a lioness in her cage.

“Afternoon, Sheriff.” Adam said, tugging on the brim of his hat.

“Dr. Lambert!” Mac said, rising up out of his seat to shake Adam’s hand warmly. “ So nice to see you back, safe and sound. I dropped off Mrs. Jones this morning. Hoped you would be awake, but I suppose you boys had a rough enough evening and used the extra sleep.”

“Glad to be back, Mac. I assume, given the presence of Dr. Dioguardi here, that the Reverend and Matty completed their mission.” Upon getting back into town, it was decided that Danny would accompany Kara into custody. Since she was riding on the back of Matt’s blue roan, Matt had agreed to go along.

“Yep. They came in just after midnight. Never thought I’d see the day when a preacher and a pianist bring in a criminal, much less someone like her. I’ma have to wire federal marshalls for sure. She’s up for treason, kidnapping, aiding and abetting, theft. Shame to hang such a pretty thing, but the law don’t discriminate. Justice is blind, they say.”

Kara had stopped her pacing to stare at Adam. There was something behind all her anger; something like fear. Having so recently hidden away his own fear of death, Adam recognized the look.

“I hear you, Mac. But let’s make sure Justice isn’t dumb either.”

“What?” Mac said, but Adam had moved towards the cell.

“Ain’t this a funny change in circumstance?” Adam asked, eyeing the prisoner.

“Ain’t?” Kara asked, eyebrows quirking. “You rode pretty close to that hic klast night, I think he rubbed off on you.” Adam and Kris, as the largest and smallest members of the party, had ridden back on Danny’s giant stallion Rascal. Once they parted company, Adam and Kris had walked Conway back to the ranch, neither wanting to let go of the other lest they be separated again.

“None of that, if you please. I won’t have you insinuatin’ nothing untoward about the good doctor and Arkansas. Why, he’s a man of science and a pillar of the community, and Kris, well, he’s got himself a sweetheart sure as you please.”

“Not now, Mac.” Adam said, not needing a reminder that Kris was probably back at the lab packing his bags to leave for Arkansas with his ready-made family. “I just don’t think we should hang Kara. She’s a middle-man, in a manner of speaking. “

“More man than you are you God-“

“Shut yer yapper, lest you want to forgo the hanging and settle up with your maker right now!” Mac shouted, taking an angry step forward. Adam put his hand on Mac’s chest, wanting to calm him down.

“As I was saying. “ Adam continued as if unfazed. “She was copying my work for a man, a delusional English chapper hell-bent on redrawing the borders of our fair nation. He’s got my research, or most of it, I should say, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds someone to replicate the work. Might work, might not. But if it does, we’ve got a mad-man with a very big bomb. If it doesn’t work, well, we’ll have an explosion big enough to re-draw some borders alright, but not in anyone’s favor.”

“Golly Moses,” Mac said, whistling. Adam took a step towards the cell and leaned in menacingly.

“So, Dr. Dioguardi, if you want to save that pretty little neck of yours, I’d start talking. Who is the Englishman, and where can I find him?”

“Go to hell, Lambert.” She spat, turning around and marching back to her cot.

“She’ll talk,” Adam promised. “Right now she’s hoping the Englishman will ride in here with his guns blazing. But he’s got the research. As soon as she realizes how expendable she is, she’ll talk.”

Adam had already mounted Glamour when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. The Reverend.

“Hey there, Doc. I was just on my way up to yours. Wanted to check in on ya.” Danny said, extending a friendly hand from the back of Rascal.

“Oh, I’m settling in just fine, thanks.” Adam said. “Bet your foundation was glad to have you back in one piece.”

“Yeah, about that,” Danny said, looking a bit uncomfortable. “I was hoping I could ask you for a favor.”

“Anything.” Adam said honestly. “I think I owe you one.”

“Well, the ladies planned a chili-social and dollar dance at The Golden Calf this evening. Guess they figured having me out of town was the only way they’d ever get a dance. It’s all for charity, for the Foundation. My followers have been pesterin’ me about your well-being ever since I woke up this morning, and I figured it would be real nice if you agreed to stop by The Golden Calf and say hello. Maybe buy a bowl of chili and dance with one of the widows. It would mean a lot.”

Adam laughed. Danny looked like he was asking Adam to go back to the Fragments and bring him a Belltoller corpse.

“Of course. I’d be delighted. Anything for the kids, right?”

“Oh, thanks Adam!” Danny said, excited now that Adam had agreed. “Hey, bring Arkansas too. And Lil and Scott. Everyone’s invited. Maybe Mrs. Jones would want to come too. Mac told me she was up at your place. I expect she needs a bit of cheering right now.” The grin fell from Adam’s face.

“Sure. Will do.” Adam said a bit sadly, trying to keep his expression even.

“Remember, though, it’s a dance. No lab coats allowed!” Danny tipped his hat and turned Rascal around in the other direction, leaving Adam to head home alone.

***

“You’ve talked about Dr. Lambert a lot. You must really admire him,” Katy said, leaning against the backrest of the bench. They had been talking for the better part of the afternoon. Lil had brought out roast chicken and spread out a checkered blanket. The boys and Scott had joined them for lunch, but after the meal Scott had ushered the kids over to the lab to work on a “secret science project.”

“I really do. He’s the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. You’d think that would make him stuck up or something but he’s the most generous, genuine, beautiful person on earth.”

“Beautiful?” Katy asked. Kris snapped his mouth shut and tried not to look flustered.

“Sure. I mean, everything he’s done for the town and all.”

“Oh. So you’re happy here,” Katy said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Kris blinked, not sure why she could be sad.

“Yeah! It’s a place to call home. Finally, after all my roaming.” Kris looked around at the ranch happily. “But, enough about me. Tell me more about your husband. I’m sorry, by the way.”

“He wasn’t my husband, Kris. He lied to me,” Katy said.

“Well,” Kris said, feeling awkward. “Well you said in your letter you grew to love him. You’ve got two beautiful children. Surely there were some happy times.”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” she said, her face crumpling. “My whole life, Kris, stolen from me. Of course I love the boys, and Jon too, in a way. But I’m so confused and angry and it hurts. Everything I thought I knew has changed, and you’re the only thing that connects me to the way my life should have been.” She was crying openly, and Kris tugged the plaid bandanna lose and handed it to her. She covered her face with it, and Kris pulled her into a hug. “Jon’s dead, the boys don’t have a father, and I’m afraid to go back home because those men might come back. What’s gonna happen to us?”

“Shh,” he whispered, kissing her hair. “It’s ok. At least you remembered. You’ve got a long life to live yet, Katy. You’ll find somebody new and he’ll make you even happier than Jon.” For some reason that only made Katy cry harder. “Hey, hey now. Katy, talk to me.”

“It’s … it’s just something Mac said. It’s silly.”

“Well, are you going to tell me about it?”

“He said … he sorta made it sound like you still wanted – like you were still in love with me. And I know that’s not possible, not after all these years. But Kristopher, it hasn’t been years for me. It’s like I went to sleep in love with you and woke up ten years later. I still feel it like it was yesterday.” Katy reached down the front of her dress and pulled out something small and black, wound tight with a simple leather chord. “Remember this?” she asked, taking the necklace off and handing it to Kris.

Kris gulped. It was a piece of slate. The very slate he had broken in class the day he told Katy he loved her.

_So you don’t forget._ He had told her

_I won’t. Not ever._ She had promised, and kissed him, sweet as the summer rain.

“Katy, I …” Kris said, choking on the words. “I think I need my bandanna.”

“You don’t even have to say it, Kris. There’s someone else. I don’t know who she is but she’s a lucky gal. Hope she knows.” Katy looked miserable.

“Aww, Katy. There’s no other woman. Yeah, I’ve had girls along the way, but none of them serious. “ Kris phrased his words carefully, wanting to comfort her but not wanting to lie.

“You mean … you’d come back with me? Back to Arkansas with the boys. I know it’s been ten years, Kris, but I’d want to try. Take a chance at the life we were supposed to have.” Katy’s eyes were so hopeful that it killed him to say the words that came.

“I can’t. “

“Why? If there’s no other woman-“

“I can’t leave Adam.” Kris said, as honestly and as simply as he could. “He needs me here. Katy, he’s - well he’s my best friend.”

“And what am I to you, nothing?” She burst into tears all over again, apologizing for her outburst through the bandanna and her choked sobs.

“Come here,” Kris said, embracing her. “I’ll help you, Katy. I won’t leave you all alone in the world. Adam will help you to, I know he will. You’ll see. Everything’s gonna be alright. Just believe in me.”

Kris was so caught up in trying to comfort Katy that he hadn’t heard the approaching hoof beats.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

    Kris jumped up off the bench and looked up at Adam. His face was inscrutable, as it often was when he was trying to cover up his feelings about something. Kris longed to reach out and grab his hand, reassure him that nothing had changed in his heart. Yet there was something in him that did wish he could take off with Katy, back to the low hills of Arkansas. It was as if going back there with her could take away the past ten years and remove all the black marks Kris was sure dotted his heart and soul. Yet Kris couldn’t bring himself to regret even his darkest hours. They had brought him to Adam.

“It’s fine,” Kris said, breaking the silence. Katy was frantically dabbing her eyes. “Dr. Adam Lambert, this is Mrs. Katy Jones. Katy, this is Adam.”

“I’m not Mrs. Jones, Kris, I wish you’d stop calling me-“

“This is Katy O’Connell then.” Kris corrected.

“It’s good to meet you. Kris has spoken so highly of you,” Adam said. Kris looked at him, surprised. He had barely spoken of Katy; hadn’t spoken of her at all before Matty’s kidnapping.

“Really?” Katy smiled. “He’s said a lot of good things about you too. Thank you for taking such good care of him. You’ve given him a nice home here.” She squeaked out her last sentence, clearly about to start crying again. “I’m sorry. There’s just a lot of -“ she stopped, unable to continue.

“Don’t worry about it. Actually I wanted to tell you something that might take your mind off … everything.” Adam said, offering her a silk handkerchief. Kris’s bandana was sopping wet. “Reverend Gokey’s Foundation is sponsoring a -” Adam took a deep breath “-Charity Chili Supper and Dollar Dance.” He smiled brilliantly, as if announcing the winner at a county fair. “I told him we’d all go …assuming you’d be up for it, um, Miss O’Connell?” Kris almost burst into laughter at Adam’s expression.

“I don’t get a say in the matter?” Kris asked, placing his hand on Adam’s shoulder to indicate he was only teasing.

“Are you or are you not my bodyguard? The Reverend is bringing his entire flock of eligible women and I legitimately fear for my life.” Adam squatted low in front of Katy. “But will you be alright? We won’t go if you don’t want to. I’ll make it up to Danny.”

“No, No. It sounds fun. Might be just what I need. Sounds like the lunch-box socials we used to have when we were kids, doesn’t it Kris?” Katy smiled up at her old friend, and Kris knew she was remembering the time he had outbid half the school to win her lunch-box. “There’s just one problem, though. I don’t have a thing to wear.”

Adam smiled at her and tilted her chin up with his hand.

“Don’t worry, my dear, I’ve got just the thing. It might take a bit of tacking, but I’m sure Lil’s up to the challenge.”

***

    Kris waited nervously outside of Adam’s room. He was wearing his best cream linen coat and trousers, with a light-blue shirt beneath a brown waistcoat and cravat he had borrowed from Scott. It wasn’t quite evening wear, but Kris didn’t attend many fancy-dress occasions. He rapped on Adam’s door.

“Anytime tonight, Adam,” Kris joked, wondering what could possibly be taking him so long. Adam threw open the door and Kris felt his jaw literally drop.

    Adam wore a thigh-length black frock coat, trimmed with a deeper black silk. A black cravat peeked over his high-collared white shirt and deep navy waistcoat. The high-waisted, smooth front pants matched his coat, a charcoal black linen with think stripes of black silk. His pocket watch gleamed a bright blue, and Kris ran his fingers along the fob.

“Silver, plated with Devilstone.” Adam explained, catching Kris’s hand in his own. His hands were clad in blue silk gloves.

“Of course,” Kris said as Adam brought his hand slowly to his lips, kissing it lightly behind the knuckles.

“Oh! The finishing touch -“ Adam went to his bedside table and donned a black top hat. “Well?”

“You look too good for this two horse town,” Kris said honestly. “Too good for this ol’ gunslinger.”

“Then why don’t you come in here and take it all off,” Adam teased.

“Don’t tempt me. We still gotta go see Katy,” Kris admonished. Adam’s face fell a bit, and Kris winced. “Adam …”

“No, you’re right. I bet Lil’s just about done with her now,” Adam said, brushing by him down the hall.

Lil was standing guard at the entrance to the parlor, arms spread wide so the men couldn’t enter. Lil herself was enchanting in a gown of green silk, cut to enhance her figure.

“Are you ready Miss Katy?”

“Oh, Mama Lil, don’t make a fuss.” Kris thought Katy sounded much more cheerful. Lil dropped her arms and Kris strode into the parlor.

For the second time that evening, his jaw dropped.

Katy was wearing a familiar dress. Deep blue silk with black trim, tightly corseted about her waist. It was the very dress that Adam wore the first time Kris had laid eyes on him.

“Does it look ok?” she asked, a pale hand lightly covering her bosom.

“You look enchanting, dear.” Adam kissed her hand lightly, making Katy flush.

“You match,” Kris said, rather dumbly. Adam and Katy turned to him, a veritable sea of black and blue.

“Oh dear, I hope you don’t get us confused.” Adam said, which made Katy laugh. He only quirked an eyebrow at Kris and waved the entire group out the door and towards the carriage.

***

    The Golden Calf was a sea of swirling colors. Matty banged on the piano, dancing with it more than playing on it. No one could blame him for his enthusiasm; Allison Iraheta was on stage and singing like she owned the world. Megan wore a shimmering, feathered, slinky dress that Kris was pretty sure was illegal in some counties. There were no complaints from this town’s lawman who was dancing with her, his cheeks every bit as pink as the fabric on her dress.

    Lil and Scott danced uncomfortably, neither of the two wanting to be mistaken for a romantic couple. Danny danced with every eligible woman in the place at least twice, and still got more invitations to dance. Kris danced with Katy, leading her awkwardly across the dance floor as best he knew how. She looked radiant, and he told her so. It was enough to take him back through time.

“I’m still wearing that necklace. I was wearing it the day I got snatched up and I’ve been wearing it ever since. I always knew it meant something,” she whispered as Allison crooned a sad love song.

“I’m glad,” Kris said, pulling her a bit closer. “I really am.” Over her shoulder, Kris saw Adam standing by the bar, whiskey in hand. Adam hated whiskey.

“Katy?” Kris said, separating a bit.

“Yes?” She was breathless, tilting her head up towards him.

“I’m gonna go check on Adam. He hasn’t been dancing much and I don’t want him to feel lonely,” Kris said in a rush, trying not to acknowledge the rush of sadness on her face. “The Snoop will dance with you, won’t you Snoop?” They had been dancing close to where Anoop was standing, notebook in hand.

“I will? I mean, of course, I will.” Anoop smiled his biggest smile. “Always room on my dance card for the prettiest woman in the room.” Kris put her hand in Anoop’s, shooting Anoop a warning glance not to pull any funny business.

This wasn’t fair. Not to anyone. Kris couldn’t divide himself in two, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t please both Katy and Adam all at once.

“Outside,” Kris said to Adam, frustration coloring his normally gentle voice. “Now.”

Adam finished his drink and sighed in resignation. He followed Kris, who circled them around behind the Golden Calf.

“I know. You don’t have to pretend anymore. When are you leaving?” Adam said, before Kris could even open his mouth to speak.

“What?” Adam’s comments caught Kris off guard. He reached forward and took Adam’s hand. Adam pulled away fast, like Kris’s hand was full of Redfire blossoms.

“With Katy. Kris, it’s fine. She’s everything you’ve ever wanted and I can’t compete, I understand that. But I can’t watch you fall in love with her.” He looked miserable, pulling his blue handkerchief from his coat pocket and turning away.

“Adam -“ Kris started.

“God, Kris, let me have my dignity. Just leave.”

“Adam, I’m not leaving,” Kris finally said, feeling a rush of relief falling from his chest as he spoke the words. Saying them aloud made them real. “I don’t know what Katy’s going to do, but I already told her. My place is here, with you.”

“You told her that?” Adam asked, still hiding his face.

“Adam, my heart is here, with you. “ Kris slid his arms around his lover, pressing his face against Adam’s back. “I don’t know why you insist on doubting me every chance you get.”

“Oh, Kristopher.” Adam turned in his arms to face him. “I’m so sorry. I just thought you’d want to be with her, or at least give it a try. You looked to happy with her.”

“Of course I’m happy. Adam, I spent ten years thinking she was dead. I want to help her, and yeah, part of me wishes I could make her life complete again. But I won’t tear us apart to do it. I couldn’t, even if I tried. Even if I left with her tomorrow, I’d be taking the first train north once we arrived. I’m so tangled up in you that I wouldn’t know where to start unraveling even if I wanted to. And I don’t.”

“Forgive me, Kris. I shouldn’t have doubted you,” Adam said after a long, silent moment.

“No, you shouldn’t have. But I can see why you did.” Kris sighed, letting go of the tension that had been clenching his heart all day. “That dress, Adam, were you trying to break my heart?”

“It looks pretty on her!” Adam insisted. “The colors are perfect.”

“Looked right pretty on you too. Though I think I like you like this better,” Kris leaned into kiss him soft and slow, hoping that Reverend Gokey wouldn’t decide that this would be the perfect time for a breath of fresh air. Adam returned the kiss, but lifted his head after the brief contact. Kris understood. It was a risk, and even with their popularity in town most people wouldn’t take too kindly to the sight of two men kissing beneath the stars. Not yet. Maybe someday that would change.

Instead, Adam pulled Kris even closer and held him, swaying ever so slightly back and forth in time to the music that drifted out into the evening air.

_Down in the valley, the valley so low  
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow  
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow  
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow _

_Writing this letter, containing three lines  
Answer my question, will you be mine?  
Will you be mine, dear, will you be mine?  
Answer my question, will you be mine? _

**EPITAPH  
**   
_     Well, folks. I am sure you’ll pardon my absence last week once I tell y’all what old Snoop’s been up to. Incidentally, I do hope y’all liked the lyrics. Though after this, I think Matty’s goin’ to have to pen a whole new set of verses.  
You’ll all remember that when we last parted ways, Doctor Adam Lambert had been captured by the separatist group calling themselves “The Sons of the West.” Apparently, they thought to make use of the Doctor’s propensity for explodin’ things to build some sort of doomsday weapon to further their agenda. Well, being the fine, upstanding American the doctor is, he beat them at their game and exploded their whole laboratory. Lucky for us, their laboratory was in the middle of the Fragments. Lucky for Adam, he had some help from a few good friends: Reverend Danny Gokey, Arkansas himself, and you guessed it, Yours Truly._

_  
     All the juicy details wouldn’t fit into this column, but rest assured I won’t leave you in the dark. You can order my upcoming book via the Weird West Weekly’s catalog department._

_  
    In more recent news, The Westport Children’s Fund raised itself another $2,000.00 by throwing a Chili Supper and Dollar Dance evening at the Golden Calf this last Tuesday. I got to cut a rug with none other than Mrs. Katy Jones, recently rescued from the Sons of the West by our own Mac Sarver and friends. She only had eyes for one man, though, everyone’s hero Krissy the Kid. Is romance in the cards for our plucky adventurer? Speaking of romance, Westport’s most eligible bachelor spent the night cavorting with plenty of ladies from the Foundation. At least that’s what my spies tell me. Perhaps the dashing Dr. Lambert will start a few fires of his own – preferably ones that don’t end in giant explosions.  
Well, better luck for me next time, I guess! My book will be coming out next month, so save your pennies! This is one you won’t want to miss!_

The Snoop


	9. The 3:10 to Little Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris and Dr. Lambert accompany Miss. O'Connell back home to Arkansas.

 

**Prologue:**

 

“Last one to town’s a hobbler!” Christopher Jones ran shrieking behind his brother, trying to catch up to Alan, who had always been faster.

“Stay with me boys, unless you want me to go get the cart.” Scott shouted, a little further back. “If you’re good we’ll stop at the general goods store and get rock candy.”

“Yay! Yay Uncle Scott!” The boys shouted, running in circles around the floppy-haired man.

“Do you have the money?” Scott asked, nodding as the boys each produced a crisp twenty dollar bill. The trackless was certainly expensive, and Scott had worried about the boys carrying so much money but Adam had insisted. If the boys had taken to their “Uncle Scott,” the love they showered upon “Uncle Adam” was at least sevenfold. He and Lil had welded together bunk beds in the hay loft for the boys, who thrilled at leaping off the ledge into a fluffy mound of hay at the bottom. Lil was in her element, fussing over Katy and the boys like it was her sole purpose in life. Scott also suspected she liked having another woman around. The two were fast friends, and if Katy thought that if was awkward that Adam had given her the master bedroom and bunked with Kris, she hadn’t said anything.

    All in all, considering the usual pace of life with Dr. Lambert, the week had been fairly quiet. Scott mused. Kris and Adam had ridden into town every day to question the captive scientist. Scott didn’t know if their efforts had been fruitful. He had been surprised when Katy had announced at breakfast that it was time for her and her brood to be heading home. Not to her forlorn cabin, but to Arkansas. Adam had furrowed his eyebrows and Kris looked equally concerned, but she had been adamant.

So Adam had reached into his billfold and removed two twenty-dollar bills, handed one each to the boys, and asked Scott to take them into town to buy tickets. The boys were now sword fighting with sticks, and Scott absentmindedly thought about how much he’d miss them.

“Three tickets, sir!” Christopher set the money on the window sill as Alan spoke. Scott chuckled as the Trackless ticket man took the money but hesitated due to the lack of destination.

“Three trackless tickets to Deadwood and then tack on the Trackless-To-Track-Transfer service.” Scott clarified. “Leaving this afternoon.”

“Sure thing Scott. Hey your boss was just here buying tickets for the same train. What he make you run down here for?”

“Change of plans.” Scott said mulling this new development over. “Say, how many tickets did he get? I just want to make sure I got enough for the rest of us.

“Just the two. He and Krissy the Kid got some business in Deadwood? Oh, no they got the T4 service too. Must be heading the same direction as y’all.” The man said, checking his records.

“Yep, that’s the plan.” Scott said, although he had no idea what the plan was. He only knew that he and Lil would be holding down the fort for awhile. It would be strange to have such an empty house after a week of being packed in like baled straw.

“Uncle Scott! It’s time to go get rock candy like you said!” One of the twins yelled, waving from the door of the Trackless office.

“I better get going.” He said, tipping his hat. “That rock candy ain’t gonna buy itself.”

“Take care, Scott. Safe travels.”

“See you round, Ryan.”

***

“Did he say where they were heading, Seacrest?” The big man asked, clasping his hands down on Ryan’s shoulders. Ryan trembled. Trackless didn’t pay him enough to deal with this.

“N…nno. Trackless to Deadwood, 5 passengers, 5 T4 fees. That’s all I know.”

“Some good you are. I told you to find out where they was headed. We’ve been waiting for him to move for weeks now.” The man spit his tobacco onto the floor, making Ryan’s stomach turn. He hated the stuff. Ryan dug deep within himself and managed to drudge up something resembling courage.

“Look, I don’t know what you “Sons of the West” are up to, but you better just leave Dr. Lambert alone. He’s a good man.”

“Well would you look at that, boys?” The man said to his assembled thugs. “Ticket-man’s got some cajones.” The three men laughed and stepped menacingly close. Ryan swallowed hard.

“Unfortunately for Dr. Lambert, he’s also a very rich man. Just as bad, he’s wanted by an even richer man. I don’t care if he’s a good man – he’ll come with me or else he’ll be a dead man. But you got one thing wrong, Runt.”

“What’s that?” Ryan asked after a moment.

“We ain’t no sons of the west. We’re the Bass Mountain Boys.” The three men cheered, and Ryan could feel himself turn white as a sheet.

“Tie’em up. Don’t want him running off to warn Dr. Lambert.” Ryan screamed as one of the men bound and gagged him. He was overpowered on every front, but he still tried his best to kick, scratch, and claw his way to freedom. He was overcome in the end, and could only watch from beneath his desk as the four men left the office, locking the door behind them with the key they had stolen from around his neck.

“Business is closed!” The headman called, and Ryan heard him flip over the little “open” sign on the front door. Hopefully someone would come looking.

 

**THE TALE**

    Kris folded his clothes neatly and placed them inside the wicker traveling case that Adam had lent him. He had never taken the train before, never packed any more than what he could carry on his horse. All the extra clothes seemed superfluous, but he was going to see his family for the first time in years. He’d gone home for Daniel’s wedding three years back, and written lots of letters, but truth be told Kris had never intended to come home to stay without Katy. Now he was coming home with Katy in tow, and still, he wasn’t staying.

    Katy, of course, had no idea he and Adam were coming along. They couldn’t hide the fact for much longer, but Adam wanted everything to be as set as possible before she tried to talk them out of it. They both worried that she could be a target for further harassment by the Sons of the West, and as Adam had put it, this was exactly the kind of situation he was trying to stabilize the Change potion for. Kris had protested, saying that there was no way Katy would agree to be used as a test subject for that sort of thing, but Adam had hushed him.

“That’s not the reason I’m going, Kristopher.” He had said, slipping a vial of the Change potion in his vest pocket none-the-less. “I’m going because you want to see her home safe, but you’re afraid to leave me alone. This” he said, patting his pocket, “is just in case.”

“Just in case Katy wants to try to fill out a pair trousers?”

“I’d be pretty upset if she tried anything like that.” Adam had snickered and shot him a knowing glance.

“Not like that.” Kris said, flushing a deep pink.

“Just in case-” Adam had hesitated a moment “-we need to travel incognito.”

“No one even knows we’re going. I thought that was the point behind buying tickets separately and having Scott go instead of Katy.” Kris had argued, still wary of the idea of Katy taking the Change potion.

“A good scientist leaves nothing to chance.” Adam had retorted and closed his case with a resounding snap.

    Kris carried his case out to the back, where Scott had already loaded up Katy’s few belongings. Adam had taken her shopping the day after the dance and purchased the entire family new clothes. When she had protested, Adam insisted it was his fault she was in this position in the first place, so it was his responsibility to take care of her. Kris knew that Adam’s guilt ran a bit deeper than that.

“If it weren’t for me, you’d be taking care of her.” Adam had admitted in bed that evening, to which Kris didn’t have a reply. He just wound his arms tightly around the other man, and double checked that the doors were locked.

Adam met him at the door, carrying his traveling trunk and hatbox.

“You didn’t need to bring your entire laboratory.” Kris said, eyeing the huge trunk. “I suppose I’m going to be carrying that.”

“What else are bodyguards for?” Adam said, grinning as he hopped into the front seat, leaving Kris to load the luggage into the back.

“He just likes to watch you work.” Scott chuckled knowingly, and Adam jabbed him in the ribs.

“A lab assistant, stable boy, and a comedian!” Kris shot back, arms cramping from lifting the trunk. “You should be a vaudevillian.”

“Don’t encourage him!” Adam said. “He’ll be asking for a raise next, and we need him to drive us to the Trackless!”

“Us?” Katy had just stepped out onto the pack porch, wearing her new green sundress and a floppy hat. The boys were at her side, looking mournful and carrying baskets of baked goods from Lil. “Where are you two going?”

Adam and Kris exchanged glances, Adam slightly inclining his head as if to say “go on.”

“Well, I haven’t been home in awhile, and Adam’s never seen Arkansas, so we figured we’d just see you safely home and make a holiday of it.”

Katy turned to Adam incredulously.

“You want to take a holiday. In Arkansas. Even though you’re being hunted by a separatist group hell bent on tearing the country apart using your research for their nefarious purposes.?”

Adam shrugged.

“Wheels are in motion, Katy. One does not lay plans to infiltrate said separatist group overnight, lest one end up exploding another laboratory. Incidentally, it would probably be best for me to lay low for awhile. Keep moving. I have people doing some digging, and we’ll go in when I have the information I need. Not before.” Adam finished with a pointed look at Kristopher. When Adam had told Kris about the Englishman, Kris had been all for charging into battle, especially since Kara had disclosed his identity as a Mr. Simon Cowell. Simon was a well-known Devilstone prospector who made his home on the far side of Devil’s Tower, in southern Montana. He was mayor of a miner’s town and owned property all over the west, including a railway between Montana and Colorado. Adam had insisted on caution. The man was a noted philanthropist and a notorious gambler – Adam wanted to be sure she was correct before he moved against him. The light in the laboratory had been dim, and accents could be faked. Though the evidence had been enough for Kris, Adam wanted something more concrete.

“Still. You could take a vacation somewhere more sophisticated. Like New York, or –“

“Do you not want us to come?” Adam asked her honestly. “I rather thought you enjoyed our company.”

“No” she said, eyes welling up. “It’s not that…it’s just that you’ve done so much for us already. Kris was right. You’re the kindest, most generous man and I won’t ever be able to repay you-“

“Shh. None of that now. We’re going on a holiday!” Adam said, scooting over closer to Scott so that Katy could join him in the front seat.

Kris smiled warmly at his friend, but couldn’t help feel a little strange as Katy took his hand up into the cart and kissed Adam’s cheek, leaving Kris to sit in the back with the two boys.

***

    The trackless driver nodded to them as they climbed aboard the passenger car and into a private enclosure.

“So the plan is to take the trackless to Deadwood and spend the night in town. Somewhere _wholesome_. Tomorrow, we’ll board the regular train and take it south to Little Rock via St. Louis. Adam explained to the boys, who were sitting on either side of him. Katy and Kris shared a bench seat, keeping a modest amount of space between them. “If anyone asks, Katy is my wife and Kris her brother. I think it would be best for the boys to be Kris’s sons, since they obviously don’t look anything like me.”

“They don’t look much like me either.” Kris said, feeling uncomfortable.

“It’ll be fun, Kris. Like a play.” Katy said, taking his hand.

“Can you boys remember that?” Adam asked. “We’ll have to change our names.”

“I’ll be Alan.” Said Christopher.

“I’ll be Christopher.” Said Alan. “Kris can be Adam!” Adam chuckled.

“I mean new names. We can’t just all swap.”

“I want to be Jon.” Christopher said, his face falling a bit. It was easy to forget that these boys had lost the only father they had ever known. Kris felt instantly guilty at being slightly jealous of the way they had taken to Adam. Truth be told, he had tried to distance himself from Katy and the boys the entire week. He didn’t want them becoming attached – or to become attached himself. It was against his nature, but surely it was better than way.

“That’s a nice name, Jon.” Kris said encouragingly. He couldn’t help but notice Katy stiffen.

“I’ll be Uncle Scott. Well, just Scott.” Alan said. “I wanna wear those glasses. Can I get some nifty goggles, Uncle Adam?”

“Please, call me Mitchell. That’s my middle name. I need a last name – something posh. Mitchell Labry. That oughta do. Kris, do you want to use your middle name?”

Kris thought. Neil had been his father’s name. His father had never come home from the war, and Kris still missed him something fierce. He shook his head sadly.

“I’ll go by Bradford. I had a cousin Bradford. Katy?”

“I remember Bradford. Bradford Bell. You do look kinda like him.” She paused, thinking. “I think I’ll go with Wilhelmina.”

“Ok, we are Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and Wilhelmina Labry, traveling with our dear brother Bradford Bell and his sons Jon and Scott. What happened to your wife, Mr. Bell?”

“My wife?” Kris asked, confused momentarily. “Oh, uh, she ran off with another fellow, leaving me to care for our two sons.”

“Excellent.” Adam nodded, as if that settled everything. The new names didn’t help Kris’s sense of unease. If anything, he only felt more unsettled. A few fake names and a flimsy cover story wouldn’t deter the Sons of the West from finding them if the word got out that they were on the move.

Kris lay awake in the hotel bed for a long time, wondering exactly what the sleeping arrangements were in the next room. The boys were in a room that adjoined his, in a room Kris suspected used to sleep “staff” while they weren’t on duty. It was a little after two am when Kris heard a knock on the door.

“Bradford, might I have a word?” Adam’s voice came through the thin wooden door and it took Kris a moment before he recognized the name as “his.”

“Coming, Labry, coming.” He rose and unlocked the door, letting a very sleepy-looking Adam.

“Thought she’d never drift off.” Adam mumbled, pulling Kris to him.

“She always was a talker. You better be careful, Adam, I think she’s got a crush on you.”

Adam frowned.

“Don’t be absurd.”

“Why wouldn’t she? You’ve been showering her with attention, gifts, talking about taking care of her and the boys. You’re great with kids. You’re brilliant, wealthy-“

“Extremely good looking” Adam chimed in.

“Don’t leave out modest.” Kris finished.

“_Exceptionally _modest.” Adam corrected, leaning down for a quick peck.

“Just be careful, you know? I just broke her heart, don’t let her pin her hopes on you. Unless you intend to –“

“Kristopher Allen. Are you jealous?”

“Adam, I’ve told you a hundred times I’m not going to run off with Katy, I thought we were past that.”

“Not of me. Of Katy. Lord, you are, aren’t you?” Adam was clearly amused, barely able to keep the laughter from his voice. “I’m sorry, Kris, did you want to pretend to be my wife? You could take the Change.”

“No!” Kris said, feeling flustered. Adam was unbuttoning his smalls, sliding his hands inside the garment to rest his hands on Kris’s skin.

“I didn’t think we needed to discuss this, Kristopher, but not all of us are as versatile in their attractions as you. I promise you. She’s got nothing that I want, and you have everything I do.

Kris inhaled as Adam moved his hands lower to prove his point.

“This is a good discussion, I’m glad we’re having it.” Kris whispered. Adam kissed him hard, pushing him backwards with one hand whilst the other remained occupied.

***

“Three tickets to St. Louis, please.” Kris said, laying down twice the amount of money a train ticket would cost.

“Names?” The clerk asked, eyeing the stack of bills curiously.

“Bradford Bell and sons.” He said, pushing the cash forward.

“Very good, Mr. Bell. The train will be boarding shortly.” The clerk pocketed the bribe. Kris just hoped it was enough to keep the clerk from “recognizing” him. He was also counting on his reputation to strike a bit of fear into the man. He’d have to remember to thank Anoop later.

Kris and the boys joined Katy and Adam already aboard.

“Uncle Mitchell!” The boys shouted as though they had been separate for days instead of hours. A few of the other passengers shot them annoyed looks.

“Easy, there boys. I know you’re excited but you gotta keep the noise down. People are trying to read.” Kris looked around and to his dismay; several of the occupants had copies of the Weird West Weekly open. Kris could only hope that this week’s issue didn’t feature an illustration of the latest adventures of Dr. Lambert and Arkansas. From the stares he got, he didn’t think they were that lucky. Forget about thanking Anoop later, he told himself.

“I was worried you weren’t going to get here, Bradford!” Katy said loudly, rising and kissing him on the cheek. “How are your sons? My, my they are growing up so fast. Only a few years ago they were just babies. Hopefully someday Mitchell and I will settle down long enough to have a brood of our own.”

Adam’s eyes went wide and he coughed as if choking.

“Oh, Mitchell, don’t be shy.” Katy said, taking her place at his side.

    Kris looked around. The entire car had gone from watching the “family” to looking anywhere else. He beamed at Katy. Kris always thought she would have made an excellent actress, if such a career would have been considered suitable for a young woman.

    The train was fairly smooth, but Kris found that he missed the feel of Conway beneath him as the miles rolled past. There was something about traversing the country in the open air, exposed to the elements that he liked. It was less of a process, this, and there for people seemed to appreciate it less. They missed the flat, smooth planes of Nebraska stretching out towards forever while they buried their noses in newspapers or embroidery. Dinner aboard the train was a surprising affair. Kris was shocked to learn that the train didn’t stop while its passengers partook of their evening meal, so he had to deal with the uncomfortable rocking motion of the cars as he dined on roast beef. Looking around, he noticed that others were dining on less palatable fare and again marveled at Adam’s generosity. Adam didn’t seem to think that eating roast beef and vegetables with a rice pilaf on a moving train was out of the ordinary, so Kris didn’t remark upon it. The boys remarked plenty when the server produced a chocolate birthday cake and sat it in front of Kris.

“It’s my dear brother’s birthday this evening, folks!” Adam said, raising his glass of champagne. “If we could all toast to Bradford Bell!”

The dining car erupted into “hear, hear!” and claps. Kris was sure his face was ten shades of red.

“Now everyone knows your name.” Adam mumbled. “Plus, we have cake.”

“I heard you were a genius, but this is a true stroke of brilliance.” Katy said, leaning over to whisper in Adam’s ear. Adam smirked at Kris, licking chocolate icing off his finger.

    Kris shook his head, unable to keep the grin off his face. He didn’t know whether to feel bad for women everywhere, or relieved on their behalf that Adam had no interest in the fairer sex. He settled for relieved on his own behalf as he tasted the icing. Two could play at that game.

***

    If eating aboard the train was difficult, sleeping was nearly impossible. Kris kept waking up with his face pressed into the metal guard rail, Adam taking up most of their two-person bunk. Katy and the boys seemed to be immune to the motion, peacefully snoring in the bunk above. The train gave a sudden lurch and Kris found himself regretting the second piece of chocolate cake he had for desert, in spite of the chocolate-tasting kiss Adam had pressed to his mouth after Katy and the boys had gone to bed.

    He got up, climbing over Adam who groaned in his sleep, and dashed to the door, trying to remember where the water closet was aboard the train. He stumbled to it and lost his dinner, his stomach clenching as the nausea left him in waves. The tastes of chocolate and roast beef should never be combined, he thought as he rinsed out his mouth in the sink.

    Moving back into the hallway, the train gave another lurch. Kris grabbed the wall to steady himself, thinking about heading back into the bathroom when he heard a strange “pop.” It wasn’t terribly loud, and if it weren’t for the fact that the water closet car was in the front of the train, Kris didn’t think he would have heard it at all. After a moment of quiet, Kris decided it was probably nothing and headed back to their sleeping room. That is, until the train started to slow. They were in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, and Kris didn’t think there was any mention of stops along the line. He doubled his speed in an effort to get back to the sleeper car.

When the train had slowed to a running pace, Kris heard one of the doors pop open. They were being boarded. He crouched low behind a row of seats, thankful for once that he was so short.

“They’re on this train. Ticket clerk said he sold them tickets just before boarding time.”

“Yeah, but he said that just before you put a bullet in his brainpan. Coulda been desperate.”

“Boss said two men, two boys, one woman traveling together. How hard could it be?”

Kris waited till they were into the next car, thanking God that they had headed in the wrong direction. The train was slowing down quickly, and Kris knew they didn’t have much time.

He pushed into the sleeping car and fumbled around for Adam’s vest. Pulling out the vial of Change, he stood on his bunk and shook Katy awake.

“Katy, no time to explain but drink this. And be quiet.” Katy nodded, her eyes going wide.

“You’re gonna feel funny.” He said as she downed the liquid. “Adam, wake up.” Kris gently nudged Adam with his foot.

“Sleepin’ Baby.” Adam mumbled. “Love you up later.”

“Dr. Adam Lambert, in the name of …science, you wake up right now or I swear to god I will punch you in the face.” Kris said, nudging him with his foot again.

“Kriiiisss…” Katy said, her voice on the edge of panic. She was looking at her hands in terror, as they were growing larger by the minute.

“It’s ok Katy, it’s only temporary. Adam, Katy took the Change, wake up and supervise or whatever it is you’re always doing in the lab.”

Adam was up quick as a flash.

“What’s happening?” Adam said, popping his head up as if he’d been awake for hours.

“We’re boarded. There’s men on board looking for two men, two boys, and one woman traveling together. I snuck back in here, gave Katy the Change, and now we should split up. I’ll take Alan, you stay here with Katy and Christopher.”

“What’s the Change?” Katy said, her voice a good fourth lower than it should be.

“You’ll need to borrow my clothes, Katy. Just hurry up now and slip into my trousers like a good girl. Boy. Man.” Kris tossed a pair of his trousers at her along with a shirt and vest.

“Man?” Katy asked, but all of a sudden comprehension dawned on her, and when she inexpertly got down from the bunk to shimmy into some trousers, Adam’s face lit up.

“Complete success.” He said, grinning. “Though I should really take a closer look-“

“Adam!” Kris said, almost shouting. “Not. Now. Not. Ever.” Kris moved in front of Katy while she dressed, looking at Adam pointedly before pressing one of his six-shooters into Adam’s hand. Adam caught his hand and pulled him close briefly.

“Stay safe.” He mumbled, kissing Kris on the cheek.

“You too.” Kris said, slightly embarrassed by the show of emotion, but knowing why Adam had taken the risk “Uh, Katy. Nice moustache.” Kris said, unable to keep the grin off his face when he turned to see Katy, who was duded up like a proper cowboy.

“This is by far the most surreal moment of my life.” She said as Kris lifted little Alan out of the bunk and removed him from the sleeping car.

    Kris edged down to the second class car, hoping there were some open seats amongst passengers who hadn’t been able to afford a sleeping car. Seeing two open seats, he slid in carefully. Not wanting to cause a panic, he pulled his hat brim low to cover his eyes and took the still-sleeping Alan’s hand.

    There was nothing to do but wait. After fifteen excruciating minutes of wondering if Adam’s car had been checked yet, Kris sighed in relief when he heard footsteps entering second class. There hadn’t been any gunfire. The ruse had worked, at least for now. Kris wasn’t sure that in daylight Adam’s striking appearance and his own fame wouldn’t give them away. The train had stopped completely, and the lack of motion was causing a few people to wake up.

    Kris decided to chance a glance up at the men in his car, doing his best to look sleepy. There were two men in his car, and Kris guessed there were more elsewhere on the train. His fingers itched to pull his gun and shoot them before they even knew what was happening. But it was a crowded car, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause a panic. Still, dawn was coming fast and furious and bringing with it proof of his identity. Half the people on the train had noticed his “resemblance” to “Krissy the Kid.” It would be foolish to assume that hired assassins wouldn’t know what he looked like.

The two men were shaking their heads and moving past. Kris slumped lower in his seat. The two men were almost out of the car.

“Mama?” Kris heard a small voice ask. “Kris, where’s Mama? I want Mama and Uncle Adam.”

Alan was awake. Kris squeezed his hand, but it was too late. The men had heard the names “Kris” and “Adam” and had turned around. Kris only had a second to react. He pushed Alan’s head down low and turned around in his seat, drawing his pistol at the same time.

He fired the first of his shots, missing the gunman by an inch. _Not good_, he chided himself, _you don’t have bullets or time to waste reloading_. He closed one eye and fired again, catching the first man in the chest just as a bullet slammed into his own right shoulder.

The car was a cacophony of screams as people woke up amidst the gunfight.

Kris screamed in agony as he lifted his arm to fire again, the pain from his shoulder shooting right to his fingertips. Alan was wailing as the blood began to drip onto the floor.

Kris squeezed the trigger twice before ducking quickly to avoid the remaining gunman’s second shot. He popped up again, relieved that the man had fallen.

Kris turned to help Alan off the floor.

“We gotta get back to Mama, bud. Come on.”

But Alan was shrieking hysterically, unable to move. The woman next to him tugged on his sleeve.

“Arkansas, leave the kid with me. He’ll be safer, and I’ll watch him. I won’t move. “

Kris nodded.

“What’s your name, ma’am?”

“Call me ‘Lex. Everyone does.” She said. “Not that this is the time for introductions.”

“Alan, Alan. Stay here with Lex. I’m gonna go get your Mama.”

Alan wailed again, but Kris tore away and started moving back towards the sleeping car, hoping he could make it before all hell broke loose.

***

“Where’s Alan!” A deep voice boomed the moment Kris popped into the car. In the growing dawn, Kris had to blink before he recognized Katy. Her voice was male, but the movements were pure Katy. She floated to Kris and grabbed him. “You’re bleeding! God, where’s Alan.”

“He’s fine. With a woman in 2nd class. He was too scared to move and moving makes you a target. He’ll be fine.”

“What about you?” Katy said, as close to shrieking as a male voice could possibly come.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m..I can…” Kris fought to keep the world from spinning.

“I gotta patch him up before he bleeds out.” Adam said, shoving Katy aside and taking control of the situation. He pressed the gun into Katy’s shaking hands. “You know how to use this?” She nodded hesitantly.

“Let me, Mama, I know how.” Christopher said, starting to slide out from his hiding place in the corner.

“No!” All three adults shouted.

“I can do it.” She stood by the doorway.

“Stay with me, baby.” Adam said, keeping his voice pitched low.

“Just a shoulder wound. Should be fine.” Kris mumbled, at least that’s what he thought he mumbled. Adam left his field of vision momentarily and returned with his medical bag and the single shot stunning weapon.

“Gotta stop the bleeding. This is gonna hurt, Kristopher. Just keep looking at me. That’s it.”

Adam was leaning over him with a scalpel and a long tweezers.

“Don’t look at the knife, look at me baby. Shhh.” Adam said, keeping his voice as even as he could, but Kris could tell he was terrified.

Just when Kris thought it was impossible for the pain to be any worse, the scalpel sliced into his skin.

“Adam!” Kris screamed. As his mouth opened, Adam stuck a glove in his mouth.

“Bite down. Think of me, Kristopher. I love you. Just keep holding on.” Adam stuck his tongue out, cutting a little deeper. Kris screamed into the glove. It was like walking on a broken glass bottle and not removing the glass from your foot.

“What are you doing to him?” Katy said, voice trembling.

“Taking the bullet out. Watch the door.” Adam said, not taking his eyes off his patient. He set the scalpel down and pushed the tweezers into the wound. Kris could feel the instrument probing and pinching and finally scraping against something hard. Bone or bullet, he couldn’t tell. Tears were falling from his face and he was certain that the only thing keeping him conscious was the pain.

“Got it. Oh, I got it. It’s over, love.” Adam tossed the bullet on the ground, and it rolled beneath the bunk, leaving a bloody trail in its path. “Christopher, bring me the needle and black thread.”

“Don’t wanna!” The boy said, shrieking.

“Christopher Jonathan Jones you do as you’re told this instant.” Apparently his mother’s voice, even in its altered state, carried with it a deeper threat than the scary sight before him. Kris saw him hand Adam the sewing kit.

“There’re coming.” Katy said. “ Oh my god, Kris. Three of them.”

“Let me up, Adam.” Kris said, trying to push him away.

“Kris you can’t…”

I can use my other hand. Let me up.”

“You’ll bleed to-“

“Adam.” Kris looked up, trying to communicate everything he needed to say in one glance. He didn’t have the strength for words. He didn’t need them. He helped Kris to his feet, steadying him as he walked towards the door.

“Give me the other gun, Katy.” Adam said, holding out his hand. The two men left the sleeper car, Adam trying his best to keep Kris steady.

“There they are!” Kris heard a voice, and lifted his gun towards the sound. Adam guided his wrist, which was good because his vision had started to go fuzzy.

“Now” Adam said, and he pulled the trigger. One of the fuzzy shapes collapsed, and Adam pulled them both behind a row of chairs. Adam popped up with the stunning weapon and fired his one shot. Kris listened and was relieved to hear a clatter as the man fell to the floor.

“Just one more Kris. Kris!”

Kris heard his name, but couldn’t answer. The world had slowed, and he was swimming underwater, getting further and further away from Adam with every stroke.

***

The first thing Kris remembered seeing was Adam’s face, pressed about two inches from his nose.

“Shh. I think he’s coming round.”

“Thank God.” Katy said, her voice back to normal.

Kris shoulder gave a distinct throb. His throat was dryer than the Badlands in August.

“Boys?” He managed to wheeze.

“They’re just fine, baby.” Adam assured him. “Lex is looking after them both.”

“Nice lady. How’d you meet her?” Katy asked, and Kris saw she was still in his clothes. He couldn’t have been out for too long.

“Funny story, I got shot in the shoulder.” Kris said, and Adam’s face lit up.

“Well you’re paler than me, which is saying something, but you’re joking so I officially pronounce you all better.” Adam said, squeezing his hand.

“Did you get ‘em?” Kris said, not knowing about being “all better” but he certainly felt more awake.

“I got ‘em good. Right between the eyes. Twice. Same hole.” Adam said, and Kris could see Katy laughing in the background.

“Good for you. Snoop will want an exclusive.” Kris said, reaching up with his good arm to wipe away blood that had dried on Adam’s face.

“Suppose he will. But he’s not going to get it for awhile. I have a patient to take care of.”

“I’ll just…I’ll just give you two a moment.” Katy said, rising. “We can talk later.”

“Katy.” Kris said. “Stay, just a minute. I want you to hear-”

She turned towards the two men, her eyes full of tears.

“I heard enough to piece it together, I think.” She said sadly.

“Katy, don’t cry. I just – we just.” Kris floundered for words and looked up at Adam.

“Sometimes you don’t pick who you love, Miss O’Connell.” Adam said, rising to his feet. “Sometimes life picks for you. And when it’s life that does the choosing, nothing can stand in the way of it. Kristopher and I…well, we’re meant to be. As strange as it sounds or looks. I’m not a believer – or I wasn’t, really. I never had enough proof to believe in the hereafter. Now, Kris is proof enough for me.”

Katy took a step towards Adam, and Kris worried for a moment that she was going to slap him. Instead, she leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.

“You’ve got a patient to take care of, Doctor. Don’t go troubling yourself on my account.” Katy smiled. “Though if you break his heart you’ll need more than a needle to sew up the hole I’ll put in you.”

“You’d a made a good man, Miss O’Connell.” Adam said, returning her gesture. “Because I am legitimately terrified of what you’d do. But have no fear. I’ll take good care of him.”

Katy sniffled and scooted over to the bunk where Kris lay, baffled by the scene in front of him.

“And that goes double for you, Mister.” She said, kissing him on the forehead before turning and giving the men their privacy.

“That was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Kris said, taking Adam’s hand as he knelt beside Kris again.

“That’s what you said the first time you saw me nude.” Adam said, pouting. “You’re heartless.”

“Shut up and kiss me, Doctor.” Kris said, wanting to wipe the arrogant smirk off Adam’s face the best way he knew how.

***

“Krissy!”

The blonde woman at the platform was waving her scarf over her head. Behind her, a tall man holding a little girl struggled to avoid her flailing arms.

Kris ran over to her.

“Mama!” He said, stooping low for a kiss and hug. “Oh! Don’t cry Mama!”

“I was so worried when I got the telegram! I prayed the entire rosary three times before I even put the paper down.”

“Was nothing, Mama.” Kris said, pulling back to embrace his brother as best he could with only one arm.

“Who is this little angel?”

“This is my little Mary. Mama says she looks just like you did when you were little. Good thing you’ve been away so long or I might have to challenge you to a duel.” Daniel Allen said, grinning.

“Mrs. Allen!”

Katy had gotten off the train, her two boys in tow.

“Why, my Lord. That’s can’t be…” Mama Allen was covering her mouth in shock.

“It’s me, Katy-“ Was all Katy could get out before she was cut off by a huge hug from Mama Allen.

Adam stepped off the platform, struggling to carry his trunk with all the carrying cases piled on top of it.

“Let me!” Daniel said, passing Mary off to his mother, who was still fawning over Katy and her sons. Daniel took the trunk from Adam and walked it easily over to their buggy.

“Mama, I’d like you to meet – “ Kris paused and Adam laughed lightly.

“Ma’am I’m Dr. Adam Lambert. Kris works for me, and we’ve come to be very good friends. “

“Well.” Mama Allen said, clearly flustered by Adam’s smile. “You’re the one who sent the telegram. You didn’t say you were the handsomest man anyone had ever seen.”

“I ran out of letters.” Adam said, laughing. “Or I would have included it.”

“He ain’t kidding, Mama. “ Kris said, playfully nudging Adam with his good shoulder.

“And who is this? Another friend of yours?”

The conductor had marched another man out onto the platform, his hands tied behind him.

“No, Mama. That would be one of the Bastards that shot me.”

“Language, Kristopher.” She said, frowning.

“That’d be my fault, Ma’am.” Adam said contritely. “I’m afraid I’ve taught you son a lot of naughty words.”

“Oh, stuff and nonsense.” She said, waving him into the buggy. “What are you going to do with him?” She asked Kris, pointing towards the captive.

“See what he knows and then turn him in.” Kris said. “Don’t much care what the law does with him after that.”

“Serves him right, shooting my boy. I’ll make sure to tell the sheriff to stop by for supper.”

“Thanks Mama. It’s good to be home.” Kris said, helping her into the buggy after making sure the captive was secure with the luggage.

 

**EPITAPH:**

_    Well, I won’t tell ya where they ended up but I will tell ya where they’ve been. Traveling between Deadwood and St. Louis is generally a pretty boring trip, but all that changes when you’ve got Krissy the Kid on board. Apparently he and Doctor Lambert have decided to take a scientific expedition via first class railway. Patrons tell me they shared a car with none other than Mrs. Katy Jones, whom I wrote about a few weeks back. Astute readers will remember her as the captured former flame of Arkansas himself. Have they rekindled their romance? Hopefully not on this trip, or that would have made for some awkward sleeping arrangements with her two children along, not to mention the Doctor._

_    Though traveling under flimsily constructed aliases (please speak with yours truly about undercover work, boys) the men were instantly recognized by passengers and railway workers alike. Not much use pretending when you’ve been featured in the best-read column in the West. The train was stopped halfway, and an inevitable firefight ensued. Arkansas was wounded in the fight, leaving Dr. Lambert to finish off the posse. Whatever happened to “And first, to do no harm?” I guess that sort of thing doesn’t apply when you’ve got a gaggle of gunmen in your sights._

_    After patching up both the Kid and the Train, our heroes continued on to parts unknown. Well, I know where they went but I’m not telling. It’s a matter of national security. The Snoop is in the thick of it, folks. Interesting weeks ahead._

_Stay reading!_

_ The Snoop_


	10. The Western Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Snoop comes forward with information on The Sons of The West and its leader. Dr. Lambert and the Kid investigate incognito with a little help from their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover Art by KateKat1010

 

**Prologue:**

 

    Adam’s feet hung off the bottom of the bunk in Kristopher Allen’s childhood room, so he had taken to sleeping curled on his side, hands positioned gently in front of his face. Kris had wanted to take his old position on the top, but Adam had insisted that he not climb with his injured arm. Kris had consented with only a mild grumble about how Adam always got to be on top and Adam had pretended not to know what he meant. The Allen farm house was small, but comfortable. Katy and her boys were sleeping in the Master Bedroom, as Mrs. Allen insisted, and she had taken the day bed in her sewing room, leaving the Kris and Adam together in Kris and Daniel’s old bedroom. It was practically a museum. Kris’s mom had kept the room virtually unchanged – many of Kris’s old toys and keepsakes still inhabited the closet and decorated the walls. It was so much different from his family home in New York that it seemed older than it really was, like it had been preserved from some time beyond memory.

    Their days had been filled with the simple pleasures Kris had enjoyed when he was young. On the first day, he had walked with Adam and Katy to the one room schoolhouse and watched the children play outside. Adam could tell it was rough on Katy, for whom the memories were so fresh. He could also see that it was good for her to relive the happy parts of her past. It seemed to help chase away the more painful memories of the robbery and the fate of her family. For Kris, there was only the enthusiasm of spending each day trying to show Adam a little bit more of where he had come from.

     The word that Kris was in town had slowly filtered its way through the Allen family, so it came as no surprise when Mama Allen had announced that they were having a family barbeque to welcome Kris home. She promised that it would be a small gathering, but from the amount of food she was procuring from the grocer in town, Adam guessed that half the state was turning out. When the butcher arrived with the entire pig to roast, Adam no longer had to guess. It was going to be a regular “to-do” as Mama Allen was fond of saying.

Adam’s night-time musing was interrupted by Kris’s eyes, peering adorably over the edge of the bunk.

“Move over.” He said, using his good arm to pull himself up over the rail.

“No climbing!” Adam said, but scooted aside none the less. It had been a week since they had slept side by side and Adam found he didn’t sleep as well without him.

“It’s better, really. You did a good job, Doc.”

“You say that now, but if you bust your stitches it will be all my fault.” Adam teased, flattening himself against the wallpapered plaster wall.

“Don’t know about that, but I’m about to bust my britches and that most certainly is your fault.” Kris said, snuggling close to him.

“Well lucky for you I happen to be both the cause and the cure.” Adam said, lifting his head so Kris could nose beneath his chin. Adam smiled to himself as he felt Kris’s hot breath in his ear and felt his pulse begin to race. Adam did his best to hold Kris still as the bunks were rickety and had been abused by two growing boys. Kris’s noises were more easily muffled; Adam simply covered Kris’s mouth with his own as his hands busied themselves elsewhere.

“Ready for tomorrow?” Adam asked much later, smoothing Kris’s hair off his sweaty face. “Your mama is sure excited.”

“She sure is. Even though I told her I’m only here for a little bit, I think she expects me to announce that Katy and I will be moving in with her. She keeps trying to talk me into it.” Kris said, his breathing still heavy. Adam frowned, trying to fight off the panic he felt at the idea of Kris not returning to Westport with him. “Guess she never gave up on the fantasy of having me ride home with Katy on the back of Conway, ready to settle down and have a normal life.”

“Are you sure _you_ have?” Adam said, his voice shaky. He knew he shouldn’t bring it up again, but there was a large part of him that needed this constant reassurance. There was finally something Adam Lambert cared more about than his work, and the idea of Kris vanishing from his life was too hard to handle.

“Adam.” Kris rolled his eyes beneath closed lids. “That would be a little like trying to close up an acorn after the oak‘s started to grow. Don’t know how many more times I have to tell you this is what I want. Are you trying to make me doubt it? Are you trying to make me doubt you?”

“I’m sorry, Kristopher. I just know what it’s like to have people want you to be something you aren’t. It’s easier, sometimes, to ride that road.“

“If I was interested in an easy life, I would have given up on Katy and married pudgy old Susan Thomas from the farm up the way. I certainly never would have fallen in love with the one person on earth who doesn’t understand that Adam Lambert is the most amazing human being alive, because it seems like I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to convince him of that fact. Not the easiest of tasks”

Adam couldn’t help the huge grin that spread across his face. He pressed a kiss on Kris’s neck, mumbling

“Rest of your life, huh?” as his tongue traced the shell of his ear.

“If you’ll have me.” Kris said softly, lacing his fingers between Adam’s.

“Of course, Kris” Adam answered, but Kris had already fallen asleep in his arms. Adam lay awake a long time, holding him close and watching for the coming dawn. When it finally rose, Adam slid down the ladder and into the lower bunk, letting Kris reclaim at least this little bit of his childhood dreams. He’d be prying him away from the rest soon enough.

***

**The Tale**

“Grandma Margaret!” Kris exclaimed, bending over to kiss the squat woman on the cheek. “This is Dr. Adam Lambert, my boss. He helped invent the trackless train, isn’t that neat!” Kris said, trying to interest the woman in his friend. She took one look at him and went back to cooing over Kris. Adam laughed.

“I’ll never be as big’a’deal as you are here, my friend.” Adam admitted, casually tossing his arm around Kris’s shoulder. “I’m going to go help your mother.”

    Kris was posted at the back porch, and his relations and neighbors had literally formed a receiving line to say hello. Kris found himself repeating the same phrases over and over again – “Thank you!” “Nice to see you too!” “No, I’m not getting married.” “The Dakotas, yeah, some colorful characters up there.” The line dragged on for another half hour before Adam returned carrying a large platter of chicken and rice towards the impromptu banquet table.

“And WHO is that?” Kris heard an insistent voice ask. He turned his attention from Adam back towards his guest, and found himself in the rather awkward position of looking into his own eyes. At least that’s how it seemed. The man in front of him was his height, weight, and even their build was similar. In fact, their looks were so similar it could really only be one person.

“Cousin Bradford!” Kris exclaimed, pulling the man into a warm embrace. “It’s been years!”

“It has!” Bradford said, nodding happily. “You look the same.”

“So do you!”

“Imagine that!” Bradford shot back. “But who is that man? He’s not related to us, is he? I think I would have remembered that.” His eyebrow quirked mischievously.

“That’s Dr. Lambert, my uh, my boss. And friend. Do you read the Weird West Weekly? He’s in it quite often.”

“No, dear cousin, I try and stay away from the western rags. My reading material gets delivered from either coast. Oh, la, the glamorous life. One of these days I’m going to high tail it out of here and head east-“ Bradford’s musing was interrupted by a small cough from the woman by his side. Kris’s eyes widened.

“Oh, you’ve met my wife, I imagine.” Brad said, looking awkward. “ I think you two went to school together. That’s what she said anyway.”

“Susan, so nice to see you again.” Kris said, recognizing the face of his old classmate Susan Thompson. She had transcended being merely pudgy and was now well on her way to tripling Bradford’s body size. “Though I should say Mrs. Bell, forgive my manners.”

“Not at all, Kristopher.” She said, sounding a bit breathless. Kris nervously glanced at Bradford, expecting him to look upset over the obvious look of adoration Susan was giving him. She hadn’t changed much. Instead, Bradford looked very eager.

“I should let you two catch up!” Bradford announced cheerfully. “Oh, don’t worry about me.” Brad said as Kris started to protest. “I’ll just go make Dr. Lambert’s acquaintance. He looks incredibly interesting.”

“I suppose you’ll marry Katy now that you’ve found her again.” Susan said mournfully, ignoring her husband’s departure. “Unless it bothers you that she’s been married before.”

“What? Oh, no. That doesn’t bother me. But we aren’t getting married. Lots of time gone by, no need to rush things.” Kris said, uncomfortable discussing romantic entanglements with his former admirer. Unlike most of the other girls in his class who flirted tactfully, Susan had always made her intentions as clear as spring water. Kris had spent a good deal of his early childhood trying to escape her grasp, and she had only backed off once he and Katy had started courting. He wondered how she had managed to lure the rather good looking, if somewhat quixotic, Bradford Bell. Perhaps her father’s wealth had something to do with it, Kris thought uncharitably. He let Susan carry on with her babbling and looked over at Bradford.

    He had introduced himself to Adam and the two were chatting away merrily. Kris’s eyes narrowed as Adam smiled down at the other man, who had placed his hand delicately on Adam’s arm as he arranged another platter of food. Kris looked back at Susan and all of a sudden everything started to click into place. Apparently looks weren’t the only thing Kris and his cousin had in common. Bradford had just figured it out a lot sooner than Kris and found the perfect cover story in poor, overeager Susan Thomas. Kris swallowed hard and burst through the line, not caring that he had almost knocked over his great-aunt Tessie. By the time he reached where Bradford and Adam were talking, Bradford had moved even closer to Adam, who was looking slightly uncomfortable now, as if unsure how to stave off this advance.

“Just wanted to see how you were doing.” Kris said, words barely containing his rage. Adam smiled down gratefully at him.

“Getting to know the real Bradford Bell.” Adam said. “You know, Mr. Bell, that Kris impersonated you on the train to avoid detection?”

“He did?” Bradford purred. “Did his efforts come close to the real thing? Of course you might have to spend a bit more time with me to figure that out.” Kris boiled, but Adam lay a casual hand on Kris’s shoulder.

“Oh, he did a fair job, I am sure, but anyone familiar with you would be able to tell the difference. After all, Kris is a much more subtle being. Plus, why would the real Bradford Bell be traveling anywhere without his lovely wife?” Adam said, waving his hand towards the large woman who was making her way towards the haphazard stack of fried chicken. “Alas, without her I am afraid the disguise would be incomplete.”

“Oh, well, by all means, next time you feel the need to impersonate me just send for her.” Bradford said, scowling.

“And deprive you of her company? I would never. I’m not the marrying type myself, but I would imagine that when one finds that special person to spend the rest of his life with, he’d keep that person close at hand. Wouldn’t you agree, Kristopher?” Adam asked, his hand trailing a bit lower down Kris’s arm. A casual onlooker wouldn’t have noticed, but to Bradford the meaning was clear.

“I…” Bradford looked over at Kris in surprise. Kris felt himself flushing, but did his level best to hold Bradford’s gaze. “I didn’t realize…”

“It’s alright.” Kris said, starring tersely at Bradford, who looked sufficiently apologetic. “I know you won’t go talking. You’ve got just as much to lose.”

“Not nearly so much.” Bradford replied, looking a little sad. “I’m an island, here. Every now and again-“He swallowed hard “someone will pass through town but no one stays. Can’t blame them. After all, I’m a married man.” By now he looked positively miserable, and Kris couldn’t help giving him a quick hug.

“You did wrong. Make it right.” Kris said simply. “If you’re sick of being an island-son, you better build yourself a boat.”

Bradford laughed. “I’ve missed you, cousin. Maybe I’ll come up for a visit sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Adam said, smirking. Kris bit his lip, knowing Adam was just trying to get a rise out of him. “Though we do enjoy our privacy.”

“I’m _sure _you do.” Bradford winked, and that was all Kris could take. He rolled his eyes and laughed, excusing himself to return to his guests. Now that Bradford knew the score, Kris felt safe in leaving them to their own devices.

It was late that night when Adam settled down next to Kris on the couch in the parlor. The Bluefire lights that had lit the party were running down, which cast an odd pale blue light through the windows. Mama Allen had gone to bed after Adam had assured her he would finish cleaning up. She had pronounced him an Angel sent by God to cure all the world’s evils and taken off down the hall to the sewing room. Katy and the boys were fast asleep as well. Half the town’s eligible bachelors had come-a-calling, remembering how great her beauty had been and still was.

" So that's everyone" Kris said, slumping against Adam in exhaustion.

"They're great. Brad especially, he's a hoot. He told me about getting married - apparently his dad caught him with a run-away soldier. Threatened to make him enlist if he didn't take a wife. So Brad married the first woman who'd have him. He said he knew I shared his proclivity the moment he looked at me. That's sort of worrisome, but maybe Brad's just perceptive."

"Oh, so he's Brad now." Kris said, feigning jealousy."I bet his wife doesn't even call him Brad."

"I'll bet she calls him 'Kris.' She seemed pretty taken with you." Adam teased back. "Maybe I should be jealous."

Kris groaned. "I'm sick of jealousy. Even pretend jealousy. I wanna go back home where the only thing you have to be jealous of is that Lil gives me extra pancakes."

"She does? That's it, Allen, we're through." Adam said, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

"Huh." Kris said, after a moment. "Allen. It's so strange. No one calls me that. I was beginning to feel like a man with no name. You're the first person to use my real name in years, and because of you I found Katy, even came back home again. Maybe that's why I fell for you. With you it's easier to be the man I want to be rather than the man everyone expects."

Adam fell quiet for a minute, and in the faint blue light Kris thought he saw tears in the other man's eyes.

"What is it, Adam?" Kris pulled him close, leaning against the arm of the sofa. Adam gave a quiet little sniffle as he turned his face into Kris's chest.

"We haven't even talked about it." Adam mumbled, looking out of the window, on the ceiling, anywhere other than at Kris.

"What?"

"The BOMB." Adam said, as if this explained everything. Kris mulled it over, trying to comprehend what could have Adam so upset. When Kris didn't answer, Adam continued.

"You just told me that being near me makes it easier to be the man you want to be. That made me think about the kind of man I wanted to be. I wanted to invent something to better mankind-"

"You have!" Kris protested, but Adam carried on unabated.

"-and here I am working on a bomb that, when complete, could wipe out a third of the eastern seaboard. Devilstone is so powerful, Kris, and I'm one of the few people that can say they have a basic understanding of it. I agreed to the project because I was young and eager. It seemed like a good idea at the time - the government wanted the weapon to deter wars, not win them. I was naive enough then to believe it. But all of this Sons of the West business...where is it going to end? Will they keep kidnapping scientists until they have their bomb? Will I need to make a bigger bomb for the US government to threaten the Sons of the West? Will I be remembered as the man whose work single-handedly ripped apart the Union? That's not the kind of man I want to be. I need you to help me, Kris. Keep me from becoming that."

“Whatever I can do, I’ll do. We’ve gotta get back, Adam. Finish what we started. We’ve seen Katy safely here – and I think we need to see her safely off. It won’t take a genius to figure out where she’s gone, and without us here she’s an easy enough target. I’ll talk to her, make her see she’s gotta lay low somewhere where no one knows who she is.”

“Leave it to me.” Adam said, breathing deep as Kris threaded his fingers through Adam’s unruly mop of black hair, well, what had been black hair. The weeks spent away from his lab and in the bright sunlight were fading the black back out to his natural copper. He had been covering it beneath a hat for much of their visit.

“Guess you haven’t been in one place long enough to darken your hair again.” Kris said, breaking away from their serious conversation. Adam was upset, and when he was nervous he didn’t sleep well.

“Isn’t it terrible? I look like a penny.”

“I rather like it.” Kris said. “Though I like it dark too. Either way, really. You should let Mama cut it while you’re here, cut the black out of it.” Kris mumbled as Adam relaxed against his chest. “Would make you tougher to recognize.” Adam groaned sleepily, covering Kris’s hands which were still entangled in his hair.

“It would only be till we resolve this Sons of the West business. You read the Weekly this week. Anoop is right, people would know us anywhere. Hell, we should both take the Change and have done with it.”

“Yeesh. You as a woman is not something I’d ever want to see. Besides, Katy used the last of it. You’re right – I haven’t been in the lab very much lately. I’ve barely been home, and when I have been home, a certain someone keeps distracting me.” Adam rolled to face Kris, prodding him in the chest accusingly.

“Oh, I’m a distraction?” Kris laughed.

“Kris Allen, you are fucking distracting.” Adam said, kissing him briefly before rising up from the sofa.

“Let’s go to bed, Adam.” Kris allowed Adam to pull him up off the couch and the two headed up the stairs, trying to pretend they weren’t racing for the top bunk.

***

The telegram came the next morning – the telegram office attendant had closed up shop and brought it right over. Adam tipped him generously after Kris snatched it out of the man’s hand.

 

TO DR LAMBERT STOP

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED STOP

TRAVEL ARRANGED STOP

U O 4 TGRAM STOP

A DESAI

 

    Kris’s mother took the news of their imminent departure with as much grace as she could muster. Adam promised to make sure he visited again soon and charmed her into giving him a quick haircut before the Trackless ride to Little Rock. She had fussed over his natural color and made him promise not to darken it back right away.

“God wanted you to stand out, dear. Don’t try so hard to undo all his hard work.” Her gentle but firm reproach made Adam blush and Katy coo lovingly. Kris didn’t hear the conversation between Adam and Katy, but she had tearfully confessed to Kris that Adam had given her a rather sizable amount of money and in return extracted a promise that she make up for the years that had been stolen from her.

The train ride back to Deadwood was uneventful. Kris couldn't take his eyes off Adam, a reoccurring phenomenon exacerbated by his new look.

"You're staring again." Adam said as they waited in O'Grady's saloon for The Snoop to show up.

"Sorry. It's so different. Mama did a good job on you." She had. Adam's hair was close cropped and a golden-orange hue that shimmered in the sunlight. He had run out of his face cream too, and his freckles stood out like Indian Paintbrushes on the prairie; little orangey blossoms chasing each other across the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks. He looked like a different man, and though Kris didn't really have a preference, he took a certain joy in knowing that he was the only one who knew Adam like this. It was like keeping a secret from the rest of the world.

     Secrets are meant to be shared, though, and Kris laughed as he saw the stunned look on Anoop Desai's face as he came eye -to-eye with the new Dr. Lambert.

"Arkansas...Doctor." He said, tipping his hat to each but pitching his voice higher as if to ask if this redheaded, freckle-faced man was indeed Dr. Lambert. When Adam nodded, Anoop whistled.

"That's a hell of a disguise, Doc. How'd you magic that up without your lab? And Arkansas, I like the beard. You look older."

"A few weeks in Arkansas is a life changing experience." Adam said wryly. “But let’s focus on something more important than my appearance. Tough, I know. What did you mean about our suspicions being confirmed?” Anoop leaned in close, checking both ways as if afraid a spy might be lurking nearby.

“After Kara fingered Simon Cowell, I made contact with a few men in his employ. Took me all week and fifty bucks in booze, but once they were into the sauce they started bragging about how a big change was coming, and how Simon was gonna be the one bringin’ it. They even toasted to “President of the West.” “

Kris looked up at Adam, who regarded Anoop levelly. Adam seemed a bit torn, so Kris spoke up.

“That evidence won’t hold up in a court of law, but we’re technically just a territory. Not much federal jurisdiction out here. The only law that anyone pays attention to is “A man does what he can.” He’s gotta be behind this. How many British exile Devilstone tycoons can there possibly be? Kara pointed him out, his own men fingered him – this isn’t the East, Adam. It’s good enough out here.”

“Well, you’re the recovering lawman, so I guess we’ll go with your take on it.” Adam said, looking uncomfortable taking justice into his own hands when so much was at stake. “When do we ride?”

    Anoop laughed, shoving a map in front of him. It was hand drawn and showed the layout of a small town. Anoop had marked out its fortifications clearly. It wasn’t so much a town as it was a castle. There was an outer wall constructed of logs that encircled the saloon, Simon’s home, a bunkhouse, and various other places of business. What few residences there were had been constructed outside of the wall. Kris guessed that very few family men lived there. The kind of men Simon would want around his home were the roughest of the rough. It was like a moat of outlaws.

“You don’t just ride into Cowellsville.”

“I thought you had arranged transportation.” Adam said, double checking the telegram.

“I did.” Anoop laid out a small flyer as if it explained everything On it was a photograph of Allison, smiling provocatively in front of a cheering crowd. The flyer read “Allison Iraheta and The Western Boys – One Night Only!” The location for the show was a saloon in Cowellsville, Montanta.

“What in tarnation?” Kris asked, looking confused.

“Congratulations on your new band!” Anoop said smirking. “Kris, you’ll be playing the almost-world-famous guitarist Papa Sizzle. Matty will be coming along as “Ivory Stan” and Adam, well, I hope you can sing. I was gonna suggest we call you Blacky Boomboom but given your new appearance I think we should go with “Copperhead Charlie.””

Adam and Kris exchanged glances before turning their combined stares at Anoop as if he had lost his marbles. Anoop sighed and pointed at the flyer again.

"So you'll be allowed into town based on the premise that you are a performing group. Allison has a wagon, so you'll be able to ride in the back until you are in town, minimizing the chances of anyone recognizing you on the road. You'll do a performance, and then after everyone is good and drunk, you'll break into Simon's house and see if you can find Adam's notes - or any indication of where the main facility is, since I didn't see a laboratory or anything in Cowellsville. Unless it's really well hidden." Anoop leaned back in his chair, looking absurdly pleased with himself. Kris clapped him on the shoulder as if to say 'Job Well Done.' "Just don't forget about my exclusive interview when this is all said and done." Anoop continued, waving his pencil in the air threateningly.

“I..well, that certainly seems like it would work.” Kris said as he tried to gauge Adam’s reaction. "You look nervous, Adam. Can't you sing? I bet you can sing just fine." Kris asked, noting that Adam was uncharacteristically silent.

"It's not the singing. It's the breaking-in that has me a bit apprehensive."

"What else can we do? It's not like we can just go ask him" Kris said, trying to steady Adam's conscience. "Besides, Simon broke into your home and stole YOU. Far as I'm concerned you're well within your right to try and get your stuff back."

"Yeah. You're right." Adam acquiesced, the worried lines in his forehead smoothing out slightly. "It's stupid, I shouldn't get hung up on morality where the Sons of the West are concerned."

"So you're in?" Anoop said, leaning in low again and holding out his shot glass. Kris refilled it from the bottle he had purchased. The three men clinked glasses. "Good. Allison and Matt should be here by tomorrow morning. Then I'm afraid you two are in for a long ride in the back of her costume wagon. Best of Luck, Boys."

Anoop stuck out his hand, and Kris shook it warmly. Adam thanked him and gave him a quick hug; Anoop was surprised by the gesture but patted him on the back lightly. Their Weird West reputation was a mixed blessing, but Anoop had proved his worth several times over. As far as Kris was concerned, Anoop had his permission to print anything he wanted.

***

  
"Adam." Kris said, swatting the man's hands away. "Stop."

"But it's so pretty!" Adam protested, pouting a bit.

"Don't touch it, it doesn't belong to you!" Kris tried to keep Adam at bay, but after a few minutes he gave up and let Adam push past him to get at the large painted costume chest in the back of Allison's wagon.

"We’ve been shut up in this wagon for over a day. I am bored as you-know-what and you won’t do anything to occupy me because you keep saying how thin the walls are.” Adam complained, looking miserable. “Besides, we have to find something to wear." Adam insisted as he rifled through the massive chest. "I hope she has some male clothing." Allison did actually have some men's outfits, and since Kris was about her height they fit decently, if a little baggy. Unfortunately, they were designed with a certain type of performance in mind and were meant to be worn over a sparkly one-piece leotard. Kris didn't think that the black leather duds looked terrible over his white linen union suit, but Adam wrinkled his nose.

"Just don't wear the union suit." Adam said, trying to tuck the collar of the garment out of sight.

"But what if the snaps pop?" Kris felt a panic rise in his chest. The fact that Adam ran his hand down the front of the costume, popping the snaps with little effort did little to assuage his fears.

“You should leave the top few undone anyway, baby. You’ve got nothing to hide.” Adam took a step closer as he slid his hands beneath the flap of Kris’s union suit, pausing momentarily to undo each button. When the suit was open, Adam placed his hand on Kris’s bare chest and kissed him softly, a question on his lips. Kris closed his eyes and listened. The wagon was moving through rough terrain and the wheels rumbled over the rocky ground. In addition, Allison and Matty were harmonizing loudly to “Wild Rose of Texas” in a gleeful duet. Kris nodded at Adam, who released the breath he had been holding and pulled Kris close. They kissed for a long while, Adam’s hands wandering over Kris’s body as if he were surveying it.

Kris gulped as Adam pushed the shirt and leather vest to the ground and went to work on the leather pants. The belt buckle was an obnoxiously huge buffalo and Kris felt a little like he was under a stampede from an entire herd of the beasts as Adam devoured him with his hands and mouth as the wagon rolled along, its drivers cheerfully oblivious.

“Kris?” Adam said after it was over and they were both laying on a pile sequined feathery costumes.

“Mmhm?” Kris panted, pressing a kiss to Adam’s sweat slicked orange hair.

“I wonder if we can spend ten minutes alone without me trying to take your clothes off. I think I have a problem, I should probably see a doctor.” Adam ran his hand over Kris’s stomach, fingers inching lower to wrap around his thigh.

“You _are_ a doctor.” Kris reminded him. He curled up against Adam’s side. “Besides, being in mind-numbingly dangerous situations all the time does something to your libido. At least that’s my experience. When I know I’m riding into danger I get an itch, like my body knows what’s coming and wants to make sure I do my best to stay alive.”

Adam lay silent for a long time and when Kris looked up at his face he saw that Adam’s expression was troubled and far away.

“I never should have let you leave Arkansas. You can protect me with your gun hand, but how the hell am I supposed to protect you. I should be keeping you out of harm’s way and instead I bring you with me because I can’t bear to be apart from you.”

“Fuck, Adam. How faithless do you think I am? You honestly think I would have stayed there, knowing what you were riding in to?”

“I shouldn’t have told you. Should have said I didn’t love you and –“

Kris rolled onto Adam’s chest, wincing has he forgot to go easy on his shoulder and ignoring Adam’s moans of protest.

“Who saved me from getting crushed by a propeller in front of the Hobbler cave? Who took down the gunman who was aiming for me when we got Danny back his money? Who sent along the only thing that kept Mac and I from getting torn apart by Howlers? Who killed the last outlaw on the train and then saved my live by removing that bullet and sewing me back up.” Kris was nearly shouting even though their faces were only an inch apart. “Dammit Adam. I am not going to lay here and let you pretend like you should have done this on your own. For every time I’ve saved you you’ve pulled my ass out of the fire. Pretending otherwise is just plum stupid and you’re too smart for that.”

Adam blinked up at Kris before running a hand up Kris’s naked chest and letting it rest just beneath his chin. Kris let the silence stand, sighing as Adam settled his other hand in the small of his back.

“Should anything ever happen to me – when it eventually happens to me-” Adam said slowly, cautiously. “I want you to know that this will be the moment I paint on the inside of my eyelids as they close. Every time I think you’re just about as perfect a man that I could have imagined you open your mouth and you’re suddenly ten times as perfect as you were before. Every. Fucking. Time.” Adam punctuated his last three words with kisses.

“Just promise me you’ll never do anything like that – try and keep me safe by closing me out. I need you as much as you need me.” Kris pulled Adam’s face so that they were looking eye to eye. “I mean it, Adam. You can’t protect me by pushing me away. That would kill me faster than any danger you could lead me in to.”

“Kris.” Adam started, before his eyes flew open in panic. “We aren’t moving anymore.”

Kris was off of Adam’s chest in a flash, struggling to pull on clothes. They both were into their union suits by the time Matt swung open the door.

“Oh, were you guys napping?” Matt asked, momentarily stunned by the sight of two men in their underpants.

“Yes!” Adam said, a little too enthusiastically. “Did you need something? Is everything alright?”

“Well, actually, Allison wants to stop for the night. We drove through last night but the girl’s completely knackered.” Matty looked a bit uncomfortable, as if there was something he wasn’t saying.

“I wish we could help drive.” Kris ventured, thinking maybe Allison resented the fact that she had to tow around Adam and Kris when they were perfectly capable of driving the team. However, Anoop thought it was best to minimize their exposure before the show. Even with Adam’s drastically altered appearance, the silhouette of a very tall man riding close with a very short one might be enough to elicit trouble.

“No, don’t worry about it. She’s not mad or nothing, just needs a break from moving. So we thought we’d camp here for tonight. You guys can take the wagon and we’ll set up the tents.” Matt said, casting his eyes down.

“That’s silly” Kris said. “Why set up both tents, you can stay in here with us.”

“Oh, no. That’s ok. I like sleeping outside. It was so much fun when we rode to the fragments.” Matt stammered. Kris recalled their rain-drenched ride and brief nap beneath the stone outcropping. “Fun” was not a word he’d use to describe the experience. Kris was about to protest when he saw Adam smirk.

“Sure. You need help setting things up? Making dinner? I’m good with fires, I could start one-“ Adam offered.

“Yeah. That’d be great. The tents are uh – beneath that pile of costumes and your clothing.” Matt said, holding out his hand. Kris rummaged beneath the clothing and pulled out the canvas bags, grateful that the low light hid his blush.

    The four shared an awkward meal of stew. For some reason, Adam kept stifling laughter and Kris was getting mildly annoyed. There wasn’t anything funny in _his_ stew. Matt wouldn’t meet Adam’s eyes and for the rest of the evening, Kris worried that perhaps Matt had heard something that had made him uncomfortable. They had been very fortunate so far in that the people who had discovered the true nature of his and Adam’s relationship hadn’t seemed to mind. It almost escaped him at times that the prevailing opinion was that they were committing an untenable sin every time they looked at one another with an impure thought. Which was pretty much always. It didn’t feel like a sin to Kris. Hell, he broke one of the ten commandments on a regular basis – even if it was for the right reasons it was still breaking it. Somehow Kris didn’t think that his immortal soul was in any danger from violating an obscure passage in the old testament, not when most of the old books were genealogy and fables.

“So I think I’ll head to bed” Matt was saying. “I’ll douse the fire.”

“Me too!” Allison said, springing up eagerly. “God damn, I’m bushed. You turnin’ in too, boys?”

“Well I guess, if Matty’s already got the fire out.” Kris watched as Matt poured a bit of water onto the embers, setting off a rise of steam amid a slow and steady hiss.

“We’ve got a long day tomorrow.” Adam said, obviously feigning a yawn. “Should get in just after noon, then we’ve gotta rehearse a bit, take a walk around town to get the lay of it, and then convince the entire population to get so drunk they won’t notice Kris and I trying to break in their bosses house. Come on Kris, it’s getting cold out here without the fire.” Adam yanked Kris up by the arm and marched him over to the wagon.

“What’s the rush?” Kris mumbled, but Adam ignored him, calling

“Goodnight” cheerfully over this shoulder and pushing Kris into the wagon.

“Gonna tell me what that was all about?” Kris asked after they had settled in beneath a large patchwork quilt.

“Shhh.” Adam said, sliding his hand beneath Kris’s. “Listen.”

Kris lay quiet against Adam’s side and listened. He heard the breeze outside the wagon and the hoot of a nearby owl announcing the twilight hours. He listened to the steady reassuring thud of Adam’s heart and the occasional stamp of one of the horses shifting its weight. Then, he heard a giggle. Followed by other, less lady-like sounds. Matt’s discomfort and the awkward dinner conversation suddenly clicked, and Kris realized what had Adam so amused. Apparently they weren’t the only people with something to hide.

“Oh. “ Kris said as he snuggled closer to Adam, trying to distract himself from the sounds outside with a few sounds of their own.

 

***

 

    While Allison checked in to The King’s Arms (“quite a reach” Adam had joked as he eyed the sign) the boys decided to get the lay of the land. They took a brief foray into the General Goods store where Adam insisted on trying every pair of trousers the shopkeeper had while Kris tried to subtly eye the weapons rack. Matty quickly dragged him off towards the musical instruments, marveling at the selection.

“Nicer ones here than in Dodge City.” Kris said, whistling low as he fingered a mandolin.

“You’re telling me. I don’t think I’ve ever touched a piano this nice.” Matt ran a hand along the top of a particularly fine upright.

“Mr. Cowell has a penchant for fine music.” The shopkeeper explained. Thus, we have the best performers from all over the west stopping in quite frequently. I’ve found it’s been quite lucrative to have a high quality selection available. A shame that such talent is wasted on uneducated ears.”

“Wasted?” Adam emerged from the back room clad in green linen trousers and a brown calfskin coat. It was the most bizarre combination that Kris had ever seen but on Adam’s lean frame it worked. He’d also run his hand backwards through his copper hair so that it formed little jagged peaks. He drew the shopkeeper’s attention at once. That made sense, Kris thought, in that get-up he’d be even more impossible to ignore. Even Scott without his goggles would have stared.

“Not a soul in this town would know good music if it came up and shook his hand. Folks only agree to perform at The Kings Arms in order to get in Mr. Cowell’s good graces. A singer would be set for life if they manage to snag him as a patron.” The man continued amiably. “I assume you lads are here for that reason?”

“We’re with Allison Iraheta. We’re her Western Boys.”

“Ahh! I hadn’t heard she had added a band. That’s quite a lucky break for the three of you. I see we have a guitarist and a piano player. What is it that you do, Mr-?”

Kris watched Adam struggle for a name less ridiculous than the one Anoop had given him.

“Folks call me Copperhead Charlie.” Adam said, affecting a slight drawl. “And I can sang.”

“He sings back-up” Matty explained, and Kris had to chuckle as Adam shot him a dirty look.

“Well welcome to Cowellsville, Charlie. Hope you strike Mr. Cowell’s fancy. Then maybe you can afford those duds you’re in.”

“How much?” Adam asked, eyebrows raised.

“That get up will run you fifty dollars.”

Kris gasped. Fifty dollars was enough to outfit a whole band.

“I’ll give you thirty five” Adam bargained “As I bet I’m the only one that’s ever touched these pants. They were on the bottom of a pile way in back.”

“Done” The shopkeeper agreed, surprised at Adam’s astuteness and at the amount of cash in his wallet. “Maybe you don’t need Simon’s backing. You seem to be doin’ alright on your own.”

“Sudden death in the family.” Adam lied. “My uncle left me a whole shitload of money…”

Kris shook his head, remembering the line Adam had used in the letter. The only uncle Adam had received money from was Uncle Sam, and that uncle hadn’t gone anywhere. He was most certainly still waiting for Adam to make good on his promise.

    The afternoon brought a rather awkward conversation in which Allison had informed them that Matt would be sharing her room, clearly nervous that Adam would disapprove. Adam had told her it didn’t make a lick of difference to him who she bedded down with and that he was happy she was happy. The two had grown very close in their brief interaction – Kris supposed that it was natural considering her situation. Adam had ruffled her pink mop of hair and warned Matt not to break her heart or else he’d take back the harpsichord throat. Matt looked genuinely afraid until Kris had started to laugh. They had practiced a few songs, Adam doing a fair job of marking along with Allison as he learned the lyrics while Kris worked out the chording. It was easy to forget that the show wasn’t the main reason they were there.

“You missed your calling, Arkansas.” Allison said, swatting him on his black-leather-clad behind. “My pants look pretty good on you!”

“That’s what I said!” Adam agreed enthusiastically. Matt shot him a questioning look. “I said it’s too bad there’s no girls in Cowellsville, cause I think those pants make him look taller, don’t you?” Adam recovered quickly. “It’s those little stripes.”

“I still can’t figure out why you’re not with Katy. She’s so pretty!” Matt exclaimed, withering under a jealous glance from Allison. “If you like blondes, that is. Do you?”

“Prettiest woman I ever saw was a red-head.” Kris answered truthfully.

“That mystery woman! Whatever happened to her?” Matt asked.

“I could tell you, but not in front of Allison. She’s a lady after all.” Kris teased. “But one night on the ranch and she hasn’t ever been back.”

The other two begged and pleaded, but that’s all that Kris would say. He felt rather pleased with himself – he had never seen Adam such a lovely shade of crimson.

***

“I’m Allison Iraheta, and these are my Western Boys!”

    The name drew thunderous cheering from the assembled men inside The King’s Arms. The place was packed, even the balcony was full of men who looked at Allison with predatory eyes. Kris was suddenly very glad that Matt was sharing Allison’s room.  She had them from her opening note, stomping around the stage with a commanding presence that belied her 20 years. On the second verse, Adam hopped up on stage and danced with her, singing the harmony with so much power that Kris flubbed a few chords.

It figured. It figured that Adam, a certified genius capable of exploding the entire world with his sheer brainpower, would also have a voice that God should have only granted to one of his Angels. Specifically the one with the flaming sword.

    Even Allison was surprised, but she leaned close to him and they traded solo lines as easily as if they had rehearsed it a hundred times before. Matt was wailing on the keys, arms flying fast and furious to keep up with the pace of the singers. The tune ended and the applause was enough to shake the stage. Kris had never played for such a large crowd before and the feeling was electric. He envied Matt and Allison for getting to live this life, but was grateful for the little taste of it he was getting . As the applause and cheers died down, Matt struck the opening chords of the next number, but a lone man strode forward from the back of the room. The crowd parted to let him pass.

“Let the tall one sing.” The man said, and his voice was unmistakably British. Kris saw Adam’s back tense up and knew that this man must be Simon Cowell. The man responsible for kidnapping Adam and for trying to build a bomb capable of destroying an entire city, maybe even more. Though Kris had just been considering hanging up his pistol for good in favor of his guitar, he longed for the comforting touch of steel in his hand.

“It’s Allison’s band.” Adam protested, making sure to use his faux southern accent.

“Humor me.” Simon said, authoritatively. He took a front seat from a grunt who gladly gave it up and waited expectantly.

“Alright. You heard the man.” Allison said, waving her hands as she exited the stage. “You got something to sing, Charlie?”

Adam hesitated.

“I got a love song my girl used to sing for me, before she left me for an outlaw.” Adam said to the crowd’s delight. “Maybe a few of you fellas out there have heard of it. “My Lover Rides at Dawn”” Adam looked back to the boys and mouthed the key. Kris grimaced. It was a familiar tune that incorporated a lot of Spanish-style guitar work. He took a step forward and opened the song, fingers flying over the strings as fast as he could handle. The notes popped staccato in the air, and Kris was pleased to see Adam’s look of approval. Matty brought the melody for a few bars before Adam began to sing. The sound was so beautiful that it was all Kris could do to keep playing. He wanted to stop and stare and listen to Adam sing forever. When Adam reached the chorus, it was so overwhelming that Kris couldn’t help but sing the harmony.

_“And I know my momma wouldn’t approve_

_She wants me to stay on the farm_

_And I know my daddy’s gonna make me choose_

_My lover rides away at dawn_

_And I, oh I, I’m going too._

_He’ll never leave me, he swears he won’t stray_

_Forever beside me is where he will stay_

_I’ve got to prove that my love’s just as true_

_My lover rides at dawn_

_And I’m going too”_

 

Kris found that the more he focused on Adam, the easier he found the guitar part. He became part of the music that Adam was making, a mere instrument in the hands of a master. When the song was over, the crowd waited in silence until Simon rose from his chair. He looked at Adam as if he was the only other person in the room.

“That was a very spirited performance, boys. I have to say, if I am being honest, that the male/male harmony on this particular song was an interesting choice, although I didn’t really give you adequate time to prepare. The lead vocals were immaculate. The harmony wavered a bit at first but that’s natural en octavo. There’s usually a much bigger gap in the voice parts. It was strange hearing such a closed harmony. I bet that half the people in this room were watching you thinking that it was spectacular, and the other half were just confused as to what was happening. It was sort of bizarre. But I liked it.”

“Well, I’m glad.” Adam said, looking unsure.

“I hope you will join me for a drink after the show at my home. Bring your little friend.”

Adam nodded and Simon bobbed his head slightly in acknowledgment before exiting the bar.

Allison came back on stage and Kris retreated into the music, enjoying what little time they had left before entering into the belly of the beast.

“You think he recognized you?” Kris asked as he and Adam changed into their normal clothing.

“Tough to say. Why make me sing on my own if he did? The shopkeeper told us he likes nurturing new talent. Maybe he thinks we have potential.” Adam said, smiling vainly.

“Are we actually gonna go?” Kris said a little warily.

“I think we’d be foolish not to. If nothing else it would give us the chance to see the inside of the house. We could have a drink, leave, and then return in a few hours.”

Kris thought about it. Adam was right, it would be a big advantage to see the layout of the building and if there was any security.

“Alright. But more importantly, Christ, Adam, how come you never told me you could sing. If you can even call what you did singing. It was more like heaven opened up in front of me.”

“Sounds familiar.” Adam joked, prodding Kris on his backside. “You know, I really should be more nervous about this but I can’t help but feel good after singing. I always sing in the Lab, I can’t believe you’ve never heard me.

“You’re right, you really should be nervous. What if he recognizes you?”

“He _won’t._” Adam insisted, but Kris didn’t think he sounded very sure. “And if he does I’ll think of something. Just follow my lead.”

***

 

“Ah, Dr. Lambert! And his gunman-cum-guitarist-cum-lover, Krissy the Kid. Do come in.” Simon answered his own door, which surprised Kris but not quite as much as the fact that he had used their real names. Sort of. His hand went to his gun, but Simon flicked his eyes upwards towards the foyer balcony. A man had the muzzle of a shot gun trained on Kris.

“Do let’s be civil.” Simon said cheerfully. “I was thrilled when I saw it was you with dear Dr. Lambert here. Saves me the trouble of you coming to look for him again. I have to say, the disguises almost threw me, and Adam your accent is wretched, but upon closer examination I was certain it was you. Brilliant vocals, by the way, and an interesting song choice considering.” Simon said, waving his hand between the two of them. “It’s a shame I’m going to have to deprive the world of her greatest mind and her greatest singing voice all at once.”

“What do you mean?” Kris stepped in front of Adam protectively. “I thought you said we were being civil.”

“I meant you and I. I don’t want anything from you, Kris Allen. As long as you don’t put up a fight, you’re free to go.” Simon gestured towards the door, but Kris stayed stone still.

“Go, Kris.” Adam’s voice was firm as he placed his hands on Kris’s shoulders and tried to push him sideways. However, Kris was stronger than his frame belied and he remained rooted to the ground between Simon and Adam.

“Listen here, you bastard. If you think I’m going to walk out the door and let you kill Adam you’re beyond insane.” Kris said, taking a step forward. “I know your man up there can get a shot off, but is he faster than me? You think he can kill me before I kill you?” Kris snarled, watching Simon’s eyes carefully. “So what’s it gonna be, Cowell? Are you a gamblin’ man?”

Simon tensed, clearly he was a man used to being obeyed. He hadn’t counted on Kris standing up to him; hadn’t counted on Kris at all. Kris took a bit of pride in that at least he was unexpected.

“Who said anything about killing Dr. Lambert.” Simon said, waving to the gunman to lower his weapon. “What I really want is for him to join me. Killing him would be-“

“Well, he’s not gonna!” Kris interjected, but Adam placed a calm hand on his shoulder.

“Actually, Kris. That’s what I’m here for.” Adam took advantage of Kris’s stunned silence to push past him and hold out his hand to Simon.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said.” Adam began, as Simon grasped his hand. “About making a new start out here, without the misguided morality of the eastern states. I want in on it,”

“Adam! What are you saying?” Kris felt like his world was going to drop out from beneath him. Was this what Adam had meant when he had told Kris to follow his lead?

“Kris. Think about it. Think about what it could mean for us.” Adam took his hand and twined their fingers together, holding their hands upright against Adam’s chest. “We can work with them, make sure the separation isn’t violent. You’d be a big help, you could rally a lot of undecided people to the cause. Think about it. If the West succeeded, the South could rise again. Leave the Yankees to their frozen corner of the country.”

    Kris couldn’t be sure if Adam was telling the truth. He looked convincing, that was certain. There were tears in his pleading eyes and Kris felt like weeping himself. The country had just barely begun to heal, and only a week ago Adam had begged Kris to keep him from doing anything that would tear the country apart. Adam squeezed his hand tightly. Kris turned to look at Simon, who was so certain of his victory he was eyeing Adam the way a cat would eye a mouse.

“If you love me, stay. I need you to face this with me, I can’t do it alone.” Adam said, and that was it. Kris could either break his promise to keep Adam from breaking the fragile peace of the nation or his promise to stand by Adam no matter what came their way. For life, he had said, and he had meant it.

“If this is what you want.” Kris said. “Then it’s the only thing that matters.” Kris pulled his hand from Adam and offered it to Simon, before he could change his mind.

***

**EPITAPH**

_     There were wedding bells in Westport this week, folks. The Reverend Daniel Gokey presided over a rather impromptu ceremony uniting Miss Megan Joy and Westport’s own Marshall Mac Sarver. I wonder if this means his bar-brawlin’ days are done. It seems like Miss Megan’s bar-brawlin’ days are just beginning. During the reception at The Golden Calf, she allegedly punched out another gal who was lookin’ at her man. When asked about the unladylike conduct, the groom said that Miss Megan has a mind of her own, and he was just glad that on that day her mind was set on him._

_   It really must be love, folks. If my wife decked another lady, we’d be having words and make no mistake! Of course, that situation would be predicated on my _ _having a wife, which doesn’t look to be happenin’ anytime soon._

_    I’m hearing interesting news from further west. It seems that the newly-formed band Allison Iraheta and The Western Boys” have fractured after only one show. Allegedly, two of the bandmates, Copperhead Charlie and Papa Sizzle have partnered off and are now guests of famed patron Simon Cowell. Apparently he was so impressed with Charlie’s vocal acrobatics and Papa Sizzle’s pickin’ that he invited them aboard his Devilstone-Powered airship for a tour of the country! Let me know if you see that Zepplin anywhere – anyone that Mr. Cowell chooses to endorse is certainly worth a ticket. Good luck Boys, from what I hear of Simon Cowell, you’re gonna need it._

Till next time!

The Snoop


	11. What Lies Beneath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Lambert and the Kid are escorted to their new home in the Great Salt Flats and begin work on The Devilstone Device.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bamberrific did the beta, KateKat1010 did the art

 

**Prologue**

    Two masked men sat beneath a tree, facing opposite directions. One held a six-shooter, while the other regarded a thick leather bound journal thoughtfully before tucking it into his jacket.

“Thought you said the Kid would be out of the picture once he reunited with the woman.”

“That was my impression. Hearts change.” The second man replied, leaning his head wearily against the bark of the tree.

“Well, it looks like there’re gonna play ball, at least for now.” The man with the gun replied, looking through the sites contemplatively. “You better hope they come through, for your brother’s sake.”

“You said…I’ve told you everything I know. I’ve held up my end of the bargain. You’re supposed to let him go.” He rose angrily and walked around to the other side of the tree, giving the trunk a wide berth, to face his agitator. The look in his eyes was distant, as if he was seeing some other realm.

“Plans change. Just like hearts, I reckon. Something else I reckon too. I reckon that Krissy the Kid had some help in locating Dr. Lambert. Sure you had nothing to do with that? Maybe a little part of the experiment you forgot to pack up?”

“No! I told you already! It was that reporter!”

“And where might I find him?” The seated man asked, looking eager.

“…How should I know? He wasn’t part of the deal. I think he left town a few days ago. Could be anywhere by now, I suppose. “

“Don’t suppose your friend down at the Trackless would know anything about where he went. You sniffed out that shipment of money fast enough. Funny that Dr. Lambert was the one to foil that little scheme as well. You sure you haven’t been playing both sides of the fence?” The man pulled his gun from his holster, but the standing man didn’t flinch or even seem to notice.

“No! Look… I’ll try and figure out where the reporter went but you have to release my brother. He’s got nothing to do with Dr. Lambert. I can’t control what the doctor does anymore, I can’t even report on it. You guys got what you wanted from me.”

“I’ll put in a good word for you with Simon. And I’ll pass your regards along to your brother. But mark my words, McIntrye, if something else goes wrong you’ll never see that brother of yours again.” The man rose and spat on the ground. “Pardon the expression.” He took a few steps away before the blond man stopped him. He reached into his coat and pulled out the journal, looking at it hesitatingly before handing it over.

“Thought you had a little more for me.” The gunman said, grabbing the volume. “What’s this? His diary?”

“It’s the key to his research; his scientific journal. And there’s…incriminating evidence in it. Of his relationship with Arkansas. You might be able to convince him to play along if you have the admission of his unnatural inclinations in his own hand. Even if something should happen to The Kid.” Scott spoke haltingly, obviously on the verge of tears.

“That’s more like it. Too bad you didn’t play this hand sooner. The game might have had a different outcome. But I’ll do my best by you, see if Simon will release your brother. Gotta warn you, though. It’s been five years. Maybe he’s changed.”

“Just let him go.” Scott begged, trying not to think of the worst case scenario. What did he mean, Todd had changed? In what way? Was he even still alive? Scott pulled off his mask and wiped at the tears that fell from his unseeing eyes. He should have told Adam a thousand times – maybe he could have helped. Maybe Kris could have arranged a rescue. But all his chances were gone and now Todd’s fate was out of his hands and the fate of the nation – and his friends – hung in the balance.

    Scott pulled his goggles out of Chocolate’s saddlebags and slung them over his eyes. He studied the mask before he put it away – a poor disguise at best. It was the Grecian style dramatis personae, with an ever-present frown and tears painted across its cheeks. Its eyes were as sightless as his own without the goggles from Dr. Lambert. Scott was both traitor and betrayed, and needed more information to try and stave off the disaster that was of his own making.

    There was only one man to turn to when you needed news, so Scott turned towards Chocolate towards Deadwood, fighting the itch to stop back at home. He wouldn’t be welcome there soon enough, and he should start getting used to the idea. Hopefully the Snoop had some idea of where The Sons of the West had Adam and Kris stowed away. He wasn’t sure what he could do; but he had already taken the coward’s road too many times. Besides, the Snoop still owed him for his last tidbit of information on Adam – it was time to pay up.

 

**The Tale:**

 

    They had been afforded every courtesy but privacy, and by the dawn Kris was pacing like a caged tiger. Smiling widely, Simon had given them a large double bed to share but had posted a guard just outside the open door “so they wouldn’t be disturbed.” It was obvious that they weren’t fully trusted. Kris had tried to whisper his questions into Adam’s ear, but Adam had placed his hand over Kris’s mouth and just stared at him. Over the course of their time together, Adam had looked at him with love, with desire, with desperation but never had he looked at Kris with so much trust. It was as if the last bit of self-doubt had vanished and he believed, finally, that Kris was with him to stay.

Kris didn’t want to do anything that would chase that look away, so he had fallen silent and quiescent as Adam slipped an arm around him.

“ ‘s for the best. Trust me.” Adam had mouthed before kissing him chastely on the lips and pulling him close. Kris laid awake a long time in their satiny prison, wondering what the morning would bring. When morning broke, he was still without resolution of spirit.

    Adam’s words about the South being able to rise again should have moved him. His daddy had died in the war and lay buried in Gettysburg. His brother had come home with a wound that had taken years to heal. But when Kris had read President Lincoln’s words, said over the mass grave where his father had gone to his rest, well, his energy for the Great Cause had died too. Kris would have been old enough to enlist then, but after reading the Yankee President’s solemn vow “That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that Government of the people by the people and for the people should not perish from the Earth” any ambition to follow in his brother’s footsteps vanished. To fight was to work at cross purposes. He was surprised that Adam hadn’t guessed that about him; that his pride in being American extended past his southern origin.

    Perhaps Adam had guessed it. Perhaps it was all for show, said more to convince Simon than to convince Kris. There was the possibility that this was all a charade. Having posted a guard, Simon apparently had considered that a possibility.

    Yet Adam seemed so at peace with their captivity, so resigned to forgo any attempt at escape. There was a hunger in his eyes too, when he had pleaded with Kris that this was the only way they could be together, open and happy like other couples. Kris had to admit the prospect was alluring. If anyone outside their small circle of trusted friends discovered the truth of their relationship, they’d likely be swinging from the same oak branch before too long. Yet here they were, sleeping openly in the same bed, almost like guests. Adam had lived his whole life knowing he could never be public about his love; it was different for Kris – he had always assumed he would. The ranch was like their island; in a way they were just as isolated as poor Bradford Bell. Kris could never tell his Mama. He and Adam would never be able to stand before a congregation and profess their faithfulness to one another. They wouldn’t even be buried side by side; no epitaph would mark their love.

    It was a cruel future, but one Kris would have been glad to face with Adam. Yet with the prospect of something more on the horizon, could he blame Adam for trying to reach it? Would this be Adam’s great gift to humanity, and would he willingly destroy a civilization in order to give it? Kris had given himself to Adam, irrevocably. Even if their road proved every lie and exaggeration about Kris’s character in the Weird West Weekly to be true, Kris resolved to follow wherever Adam would lead.

    He looked at his lover, his greatest of friends, who was still sleeping peacefully in the plush bedding. In the time he had known Adam, the man had never once seemed selfish. Kris knelt beside the bed where Adam lay and folded his hands, asking God for the grace he would need to keep Adam from being the man he had feared to become and the wisdom to recognize Adam’s intentions.

Kris felt a soft kiss against his head and raised his eyes to meet Adam’s. Adam brushed away a tear Kris hadn’t realized had fallen and tilted his chin upwards.

“It’s gonna be alright.” Adam whispered, kissing him softly. Kris didn’t know if it was an answer to his prayer, but he chose to take it as a sign.

***

“The facility is located about six hours from here, as the crow flies.” Simon was saying, gesturing vaguely southwest over the mountains in the distance.

“Well how long will it take us to get there?” Kris asked, looking at Simon sardonically. “Cause last time I checked, I’m not a crow. Let’s do quick survey. Adam, do you ha-“ Kris turned towards Adam, who was starring raptly in the direction Simon had gestured towards.

“…have black…feathery…wings?” Kris was still speaking but his eyes were riveted to the horizon, where a large silver oval was growing larger and larger in their field of vision.

“As I was saying, six hours to the south east. As the Zeppelin flies.”

The thing was hugenormous. It was so large that Kris had to come up with new words to describe the size. He tried to listen to Adam and Simon discuss how the engine functioned. Simon wasn’t a scientist, but his explanations to Adam were peppered with words that Kris didn’t understand. In fact, he wasn’t even sure Simon understood them. There were several sentences that he seemed to be repeating in that accent of his without any real comprehension behind them.

“…the finest technology money can buy.” Simon finished, gazing up at the flying machine with a mother’s pride. Adam looked suitably impressed.

“One of the first projects attempted by the government after the discovery of Devilstone was the Zeppelin.” Adam informed Kris. “It was in all the papers in an attempt to distract the minds of the nation from depressing things like the failing reconstruction of the south after the war. They could never get it to work, though. There was only one test flight. Still, the articles in the paper were so impressive – it was one of the reasons I went back for my doctorate. To see a successful, completed airship…” Adam beamed up at the machine. “…is nothing short of miraculous.

When the massive craft landed, it was all Kris could do to keep Adam from running up to it before the propeller blades stopped spinning faster than you could see them. As it was, they were still rotating at a good clip while Adam peered at the whirling gears that moved them, nodding approvingly at the clockwork-looking metal components.

“I call her Susan.” Simon said, running a hand over the smooth metal fondly. “She’s my pride and joy.”

“I can see why.” Adam’s voice was full of admiration. “When do we depart?”

“Immediately. Your friends have been notified of your departure and your things, what little you had in your room, have been taken care of.” Simon gestured towards a group of men who were loading their various belongings into the Zeppelin. “I shall be along in a few days time to check on your progress.”

“What does this do?” Adam asked. He had been wandering around the side of the zeppelin and was indicating a nozzle.

“Releases pressure for the descent.” Simon said without missing a beat.

“Wait a goldarned minute.” Kris scowled, an alarm bell ringing deep in his gut. “You aren’t coming along? How’re we supposed to know we’ll get there safe? How do we know you won’t explode this contraption once we’re in the air?”

Simon looked aghast.

“This modern marvel is hardly intended to be a casket.” Simon said, sounding genuinely horrified at such a prospect.

“What about this?” Adam interrupted again, pointing at a long blade affixed to the side of the hull.

“Aerodynamic Directional Flap.” Simon responded before continuing his reply to Kris. “Susan took years to develop and test, and thousands upon thousands of dollars to build and perfect. There are easier ways of killing you, should that be my goal. But as I have stated, I do want Dr. Lambert’s cooperation. If your wellbeing is pivotal to that cooperation then, by all means, I want you alive and well to …assist the good doctor in any capacity he should require. Kris bristled at the innuendo-laden comment from Simon, as if he were nothing more than Adam’s ten-penny ceiling expert.

“What about this?” Adam said. He was lying on the grass below the Zeppelin now, tinkering with a large piece that seemed to be able to slide to the side.

“Weapons Delivery System.” Simon said, smiling serenely at Adam who had scooted away from the hatch as fast as he could. “I meant it when I said she wasn’t intended as a casket. She’s intended to drop a bomb.”

***

    Now that Adam knew that The Susan was the vehicle for Simon’s destructive plans, he seemed to take less of an active interest in his surroundings. Kris could tell the scientist in him still wanted to run around touching everything but was holding back on principle. Now that they were aboard the flying machine, Kris had started to worry about leaving the ground. He believed that Simon wouldn’t intentionally crash The Susan, but he could think of a thousand things that could go wrong in such a colossal vehicle.

    Simon had granted them a small compartment at the bottom of the vessel, and Kris took a moment to survey his surroundings when he reached the bottom of the ladder that served as the room’s entrance. It was a square room, about ten feet across, with glass on all four sides and – Kris shuddered to look at it – a partial glass floor. Simon had asked if they were afraid of heights, and not wanting to admit weakness, Kris had shaken his head. He was pretty sure Simon could see through his lie for the man had grinned his wicked smile. Kris decided that he hated when Simon Cowell smiled, especially when he smiled at Adam. There was something sinister and power hungry in his look, as if Adam was merely a tool in Simon’s arsenal, like The Susan.

“Ok, there, Kristopher?” Adam asked, taking a seat on the high backed wooden bench that sat against the wall and holding out his arm. Kris slid next to him just as the craft began to shudder in take off.

“Just realized we were going to be up in the air. Adam, if God wanted man to fly he woulda’ given us wings.”

“He didn’t give us wings, instead he gave us brains capable of working around that particular anatomical lack.” Adam patted him on the shoulder soothingly.

“Didn’t think about it like that.” Kris admitted.

“You know I’m not a church-going man. But if I was a preacher like Danny, I’d tell people to focus less on what God wants you to do and more on what God enabled us to do.” Adam pulled Kris closer so that his head was buried beneath Adam’s arm. “Don’t look.”

As if waiting for her cue, The Susan gave a great lurch as she lifted into the air.

“Oh, God.” Kris mumbled, burying his face deeper into Adam’s side. They were rising up, faster than Kris would have thought possible given the size of the Zeppelin. He felt every pitch and sway of the blimp as she drifted upwards, subject to the gusting winds and the shift in cargo. Kris was glad no one could see him except for Adam, but was embarrassed that even Adam had to hear the pathetic mewling noises that kept escaping his pressed-together lips.

“It’s alright. It’s just like the train. Did I ever tell you I cried the first time I was on a train?”

Kris shook his head, still unable to speak or look outside.

“Granted I was four but it was pretty terrifying. Oh, Kris. You should really… it’s breathtaking.” Adam squeezed his thigh. “I think the worst is over. We’re not climbing anymore. Now we’re just floating. Try and look.”

    Sure enough, The Susan had stopped her violent shaking and now was gliding gracefully through the sky. Kris had never felt such effortless motion. On a horse, on a train, on your feet you could feel every bump in the road, every clack along the tracks. This was like swimming, like rowing through a calm late. Like kissing Adam, somehow, as if kissing counted as a method of transportation. It did, Kris decided. Not literally, of course, but kissing Adam had moved him further and faster than anything else and it was just like this; beyond any of the expectations he had for his life.

Kris pulled his head out from Adam’s armpit slowly, as if the earth were going to rush up at him. He gasped and Adam reached to take his hand as he took in the view.

    The jagged purple peaks of the mountains loomed in the distance, far below their altitude. Kris could see rivers, an amazing tangle of shining colors that reminded him of Adam’s eyes; sometimes blue, sometimes green, sometimes even gray if the mood took them. The rivers folded back on themselves sometimes, creating serpentine vistas that etched a labyrinth into the Montana landscape. There was no sign of mankind; only the vastness and splendor of the west spread out before them like a banquet.

“Think you can stand?” Adam asked, looking hopefully at the glass floor. Kris honestly wasn’t sure. There was part of him that was curious about what it would feel like to stand on what seemed like nothing, but most of him worried it would crack like new winter ice.

“If you hold on to me.” Kris said finally, gripping Adam’s hand extra tightly as they rose.

“Just take a step at a time.” Adam moved in front of him and walked backwards, and that helped. Kris could focus on Adam rather than the moving landscape. He didn’t realize he was over the glass until his boots hit, making a distinctive clinking sound rather than the thud of the metal floor. He felt a rush of panic and Adam quickly pulled him close.

Kris was not used to fear; not like this. He had long since resigned himself to the possibility of an early death given the nature of his work. This was different. This was irrational.

“Shh. It’s ok. You won’t fall. I’ve got you.” Adam said, smoothing his free hand over Kris’s hair. Though it made no logical sense – if Kris were to fall Adam would as well – Adam’s words calmed him.

“Ok, I’m gonna look.” Kris said, screwing up his courage. Adam stepped to his side and Kris was all of a sudden awash in the sensation of falling slowly from the heavens as the Zeppelin sank ever so slightly from her ultimate altitude.

“Well?” Adam asked after a moment.

“This must be what God sees.” Kris said simply. “I feel unworthy of it, somehow. Like I can’t take it in, I’m a part of it and apart from it all at once. It feels like…” Kris blushed, not wanting to say what it felt like aloud. As close as Kris had ever felt to flying was when he was laying beneath Adam, stars exploding behind his eyelids. “Like when we’re alone together.” He finished, unable to keep the sheepish grin off his face.

“I know.” Adam said, bending low to nuzzle his ear. “And if I could be sure we wouldn’t be interrupted, I’d invite further comparisons.”

Kris laughed tensely. The thrill of a new experience was evident in Adam’s face; his smile could light a room as well as a Bluefire stick.

“Not sure I could manage that. I still feel like I’m gonna be sick every time I look down.”

“You’d be looking up, silly.” Adam said, nudging into his shoulder playfully. “Maybe after dark, when you couldn’t see the ground anymore.” His voice was pitched softer and lower now, intentionally depriving the room of his usually buoyant voice. “I could take you right here, amid the stars.”

Kris was getting aroused in spite of himself, and chanced another quick look at the ground beneath them to calm himself.

“Guess that would be one way of knowing if Simon’s people are really as forward thinking as he professes.” Kris quipped. “At least we’d know if he was on the level.”

Adam sighed.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Not pretending. Not looking over our shoulders wondering if someone is going to see me touch you and think the wrong thing. Well, the right thing, but you know what I mean. It’s nice not having to refrain from kissing you –“ Adam looked like he was going to go on, but instead leaned low to prove his point. The kiss made Kris’s head spin; well, the kiss and that every time he opened his eyes he felt like they were floating in mid air. He pulled back ever so slightly.

“It does feel good. But would you really do it, Adam?” Adam looked confused, so Kris pulled him closer. “Would you really kill thousands…maybe millions of people in order to have that happiness with me?”

Adam regarded him silently, his expression inscrutable.

“I said I’d follow you anywhere, and I meant it.” Kris continued. “But part of me thinks we’re going about this wrong. If you want to change the world, if we want to show people that this-“Kris motioned between the two of them “-is okay, then we need to show them it’s okay. Blowing up a city like Simon wants isn’t gonna show them that.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Adam said, pulling back from Kris abruptly. Kris felt his stomach give a lurch, as if his connection to Adam was all that had been keeping him from falling through the glass floor. “You think I would have willingly agreed to help? He had a gun trained on you, Kristopher. Did it ever occur to you that I was trying to buy us more time?”

“Of course it did, Adam. But you haven’t told me what the plan is, what we’re doing.”

“We’re taking a Zeppelin to whatever research institution Simon has got hidden away in God-knows-where. When I get there, I’ll hopefully be able to think of something. But the less I tell you, the better.” Adam crossed his arms and Kris hesitated, not understanding his misstep and feeling vaguely insulted.

“Oh? And why is that? Afraid I won’t be able to comprehend your grand scheme?”

“Don’t be obtuse, Kristopher. You just can’t lie, that’s all. You know that-that’s why you said you’ve never won a hand of poker than wasn’t dumb luck.”

“Well sorry I ain’t a practiced liar. Not used to having so much to hide.” Kris stormed over to the solid floor and flung himself down hard on the bench. “Could have at least told me you didn’t mean it instead of letting me wonder if you’d lost your mind.”

“I DID! I tried to. I told you everything would be alright, and that you needed to trust me. I thought you’d understand – we were being watched.” Adam was talking in loud whispers, but he moved closer to Kris to make sure he was being heard. “I can’t believe you honestly thought I’d build him that bomb. What kind of monster-“

“Adam.” Kris held up his hand. To his surprise, Adam stopped speaking. “I didn’t think you would. You just scared me, that’s all. You were pretty convincing with Simon, and I see what you mean about how his ideas are tempting. I’d give just about anything to make you my … there’s not even a word for it, I guess. To have a wedding and a cake and all that. To be open with the world about how much I love you. I can see how it would be easy to get caught up in it. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings; this is confusing for me. This whole thing. I’m trying to keep up but I rely on you to keep me going in the right direction. I don’t have anything else to navigate by.”

Adam joined him on the bench, sighing loudly.

“Forgive me, Kris. I’m under a lot of pressure. I shouldn’t have gotten upset, but the idea that you’d think I would trade anyone’s life for my own happiness hurt me.” Adam’s words sounded choked. “I just don’t want you to think so little of me.”

“I couldn’t think any higher of you, Adam. I didn’t think you would. I just wanted to hear it from you, where we were going. I do trust you, but I was in the dark and I got a bit scared.” Kris laced their fingers together.

“My, my. The fastest gun in the west, afraid of heights AND of the dark. I could sell this info to the Snoop for a pretty penny.” Adam kissed him on the head, burying his face into Kris’s unruly hair.

“Not if you want to come back down here after the sun sets.” Kris teased, enjoying the slow spread of Adam’s smile eclipse the light from the bright sun.

***

    The Zeppelin landed in the dark, guided by a thousand twinkling Bluefire Lights. Kris didn’t know where they were, but there was one overwhelming scent that gave him a clue.

Salt.

    Were they near the ocean perhaps? He doubted they’d have traveled all the way to Mexico. Maybe somewhere in California? Yet that didn’t seem right either. The landscape was completely flat, from what he could tell in the moonlight, and the ground reflected white, like the desert. Where were they?

“The Salt Flats.” Adam mumbled. “West of Salt Lake City a few hundred miles.” Kris surveyed their surroundings; neither building nor vehicle was in sight. As he looked, the crew of the Susan began covering her with a white tarpaulin.

“Where do we…where are we supposed to go?” Kris asked Adam, who simply shrugged as if someone would be along to collect them eventually. Sure enough someone was. Three horses approached from the south, riding hard.

“You’re our escort?” Adam stepped forward and squinted up at the man, who was holding a much larger Bluefire Light than Kris had ever seen. It was more like a lantern. “Nice modifications.” Adam said, apparently noticing the same thing.

“Thank you, doctor.” Kris couldn’t help but notice that the man looked vaguely familiar, but Kris couldn’t place him.

“Who might we have the pleasure of addressing?” Adam asked, offering his hand.

“I’m Doctor Todd. Dr. Lambert, it’s such an honor. I’ve heard so much about you.” Dr. Todd’s eyes fell on Kris. “And Mr. Arkansas, of course.” Kris didn’t say anything, he just nodded his head slowly in recognition. “Well, shall we? I am sure you two would like to be off to bed.” He said and then fell silent as though he had said something wrong.

“Yeah. Flyin’ takes a bit out of a man, I’d like some sleep.” Kris said pointedly, taking the smaller of the two available horses.

“Excellent. Your things will be brought round with the rest of the provisions aboard the Zeppelin. If in the meantime you need anything, please be sure to let me know.”

The ride was not far, and Todd dismounted in front a low building. A man came out immediately, nodding his head towards Dr. Todd and taking the horses after Adam and Kris had followed Dr. Todd’s example.

“This is the main barracks.” Dr. Todd explained. Your quarters are in one of the sublevels so Dr. Lambert can be closer to his work.”

Kris and Adam exchanged a meaningful glance. They were being kept below ground to prevent an easy escape.

“Arkansas, you are welcome here as Dr. Lambert’s…guest but we will be asking you to aid with some of the more simple tasks around the facility.”

“Kris can assist me.” Adam piped up. “He’s quite the lab assistant.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Dr. Todd said, a little too sarcastically for Kris’s taste. “But we have no shortage of qualified lab assistants for you. As it happens, I have a position _Kris_ would be well suited for.”

“Whatever. I don’t want to be in anyone’s way.” Kris mumbled, agreeing to drop by Dr. Todd’s office in the morning. The rest of the penny-tour went fast; Dr. Todd showing them where to take meals, where the laboratory was, and finally where their quarters were. The facilities were well put together, if a little Spartan. The walls were plated with metal and the floors were hardwood. There was, however, salt-sand everywhere. There were men with push brooms scuttling about in various rooms, but Kris figured they were fighting a losing battle. He hoped that joining the broom crew was not the position Dr. Todd had in mind.

“These are typically Mr. Cowell’s rooms when he comes to stay. He prefers to be close to the laboratory as well so he can check on our progress. I hope you know what an honor it is for him to lend them to you.”

“Yes. He’s very generous.” Kris nearly choked on the words. He was so eager to get rid of the condescending Dr. Todd that he would have agreed with anything he said.

“Well, here is your bedroom.” Dr. Todd sniffed, waving his hand in the direction of a steel door. “You will sleep well, I trust.”

“Well he’s a piece of work. “ Kris said as they entered their bedroom. The room had been prepared for them, sheets turned down on the large bed. The room was spacious and well cleaned. Unlike the corridors of the facility which were lit with Bluefire Lights, Simon’s room retained the traditional oil lamps and a bit of the old world feel evident in his mansion in Montana. “Fiddle if he didn’t look familiar, though.”

“You thought so too? Maybe he was at the Fragments laboratory, or on the train. You never know – these people know things about me, about us, that only a few people could really know. They must have someone tailing us. We could have seen him a hundred times before and not taken any notice.” Adam shimmied out of his clothing and slipped into bed without his union suit.

“Settling right in, Doctor?” Kris laughed as Adam lost no time making himself at home.

“What can I say? The ride tuckered me out.”

“You talking about the Zeppelin or something else?” Kris said, divesting himself of his own clothing and, hell, union suit as well. It would be nice and the once piece garment was filthy enough as was considering their recent activity.

“_Kristopher_.” Adam said, pretending to act surprised. “Such low humor.”

“I learned from the best.” Kris remarked, sliding into bed and tucking himself neatly beneath Adam’s arm.

“I’m sorry for getting us into this.” Adam nuzzled Kris’s hair.

“It’s alright. You’ll get us out, and in the meanwhile we get to enjoy plush digs courtesy of Mr. Simon Cowell. It’s a silver lining.” Kris tried to keep things positive, but Adam chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“The only silver lining I see is that we’re here together. “ Adam replied, shifting to his side and snaking his other arm low over Kris’s hips. “And with a little luck, we’ll leave here together too.”

“No plans yet?” Kris asked hopefully, feeling a little desperate.

“Just give me a little time.” Adam promised as Kris felt himself drifting off to sleep, feeling safe in spite of their surroundings.

The days in the Sons of the West compound blurred together. During the day, Kris performed a lot of mindless labor for Dr. Todd, not really sure why he had made it seem so important. Adam worked in the lab from dawn till dusk, barely having time for meals. When he did emerge into the cafeteria, he was surrounded by a flock of assistants, all in white coats. Kris could barely get a word in edgewise; Adam was in his element among his fellow scientists.

Dr. Todd, for his part, seemed to be observing Kris with equal parts curiosity and caution. Perhaps he was wondering what the renowned genius Dr. Adam Lambert saw in a mere gunslinger. Still, Dr. Todd seemed to trail after him throughout the day, and the attention was a little off putting. As if the situation weren't uncomfortable enough.

One afternoon after, Kris was in Dr. Todd's office repairing a bookshelf that had collapsed beneath an inordinate amount of geology books and various rock samples. Dr. Todd walked into the room, mumbling to himself as he often did. He closed the door behind him, which Kris noticed as he had never done so before with just the two of them in his office.

"A moment, Mr. Arkansas?" Dr. Todd asked, pulling out a chair. Kris eyed him uneasily. Dr. Todd looked nervous.

"Is something the matter with Adam?" He asked, mind immediately jumping to the worst-case scenario.

"What? No, No. Dr. Lambert is fine. I just thought it was time you and I had a talk. Do you mind answering a few questions?" Dr. Todd shuffled through his papers, having trouble meeting Kris's eyes.

"Guess not." Kris said, taking the seat and waiting expectantly. "Go ahead."

"Would you describe yourself as a homosexual?" Dr. Todd asked, finally looking at him. Kris wasn’t familiar with the term, but understood its meaning given the contest. He didn’t like what he saw in Dr. Todd’s eyes; curiosity, yes, but a healthy bit of revulsion as well.

Kris blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.

"I... suppose I...Why do you ask?"

"Call it scientific curiosity. I need to understand you more before I disclose some particular information."

Kris considered the question. He had never really stopped to describe himself as any-sort-of -sexual.

"I am not sure there is a word for it. I'm attracted to gals more, usually. Adam's kind of different. I've thought other fella's were good lookin' but never enough to do anything about it. I'm attracted to people, maybe, more than what business they have going on twixt their legs." Kris paused, knowing his cheeks were embarrassingly red. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Dr. Todd looked as if he was struggling to understand.

"I was raised a Christian man, Arkansas. It was my understanding that you were as well. I'm just wondering how any God-fearing man can willingly indulge in sinful behavior. Or condone it." Dr. Todd looked truly troubled.

"If you're talking about Simon, I'm not sure he really does. I think he pretends to condone it so that Adam will work with the Sons of the West willingly. As far as how I can indulge... well I guess I'm more of a God-loving man than a God-fearing one. When I look at Adam, I know that God loves me. I feel His presence more powerfully now that Adam is in my life than I ever did before. I know what the Bible says, but the Bible says a lot of things we don't necessarily practice anymore." Kris allowed himself to say, knowing it could be a misstep. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I suppose that's fair." Dr. Todd ran his hand through his blond hair, looking more nervous now than when he had began the awkward conversation. “Not that I was really talking about Simon, but interesting point none the less.”

"What the hell are you doing here?” Kris fired back, more than a little annoyed. “‘You don't really seem to fit in. You're not even pretending at acceptance - why would you be working for a group that's looking to go about bringing changes you don't want?"

Dr. Todd fidgeted a moment before looking Kris in the eyes.

"I'm not here willingly." He admitted quietly. "I've been here for five years. Working here in order to keep the truth about my brother from my parents. I wanted to talk to you because I want out, and I needed to know if I could trust you. If the Sons of the West have been telling me the truth, I'll keep working here for the rest of my life. It would kill my parents if they knew. But you - you could tell me if it's true or not. If Dr. Lambert loves you, he would have told you."

Kris was boggled. Dr. Todd looked like he was coming unraveled; glasses askew on his forehead and fingers drumming hard on the desktop.

"Tell me...Tell me what? And who is your brother? What's he supposed to be hiding?"

At this Dr.Todd laughed, shaking his head as though Kris was an idiot.

"My name is Dr. Todd McIntyre. I believe you know my brother, Scott."

     Kris's jaw dropped open. Of course. They brothers had the same blue eyes and blond hair, even their voices were similar. Scott had never mentioned a brother, however. If Scott's brother had been missing for five years, Kris thought he would have mentioned it. He got a sinking feeling in his chest as he thought what Scott's silence could mean. There were only a few people that could have known the truth about he and Adam's relationship. If Scott knew his brother was being held here against his will...

"But what did they tell you about him to get you here?" Kris asked, truly mystified.

"Oh, they brought me here at gunpoint. Told me they'd kill me if I didn't work. When that didn't seem to bother me, they said they'd expose my brother as what he truly was-" Todd broke off, apparently unable to continue.

Kris thought a moment. What could Scott be hiding from his parents?

“…blind?” Kris finished, taking a stab in the dark.

“A Mary, to put it in your terms. “

“A Mary? You mean…like Adam? And me?” Kris sat down promptly. This thought had never occurred to him. He didn’t have his cousin’s ability to notice “someone like him” at a glance but he was fairly certain Adam would have brought it up. Or that someone would have mentioned something. Or that Scott would have made some comment. Maybe he had and Kris hadn’t picked up on it.

“Yeah. One of you. The way I figure it, iIf they kill me when this is all over with, Scott is all they’ll have left. They’d be so ashamed if they knew. Dad would never talk to him again. How’d your parents take the news?”

“My pa died in the war. My mama. Well, she doesn’t know. “ Kris replied honestly, feeling sick at the idea of her figuring it out.

“Then I guess you understand my predicament. They already have me here. Keeping Scott’s secret keeps me cooperative. But I was hoping that you could tell me otherwise. Maybe help me figure out a way out of here. There has to be a way.”

     Kris was ready to disclose that he and Adam were trying to formulate an escape plan, but he snapped his mouth shut as a horrible thought came to him. What if Dr. Todd was trying to get him to own up to what their plans could be; that Adam was not actually agreeing with the Sons of the West agenda after all. He weighed his options carefully. It was imperative that the Sons of the West believe Adam was on the level.

“I don’t know. Adam’s pretty keen on Simon’s ideas for the future. Me too, honestly. I’d like to be able to live this openly all the time.” Kris lied, the words heavy on his tongue. Todd’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re a piss poor actor, Arkansas. And I know what you are trying to do. But hear me out. Talk to Adam, find out if what they say about my brother is true. I would think you would be curious yourself. All those nights they spend together, working in the lab…”

“It ain’t like that!” Kris said, hands clutching the armrests of the chair as jealousy flared up in his chest.

“If you say so.” Todd said, not looking very reassured. “But talk to him. Let him know I’m willing to help. They trust me here, not completely, but I’ve been here a long time. As a show of good faith…” Todd reached into the desk and pulled out a familiar-looking journal. He placed it on the desk and slid it forward. “This got here a few days ago. It’s meant to ensure Dr. Adam’s cooperation should something happen to you. There’s enough evidence of his – and your – proclivities to ruin his entire career. I’m supposed to be reading it for any scientific notes that would clue me in to Adam’s project but I must confess I find the subject matter distasteful. The more recent entries don’t have much in the way of scientific value. It’s mostly…”

Kris had flipped to a recent entry and he was sure he was flushing up to his ears. There were detailed notes, alright, but Todd was right. There was not much science; a few notes scattered here and there among more colorful descriptions.

“Well, thanks, I guess. How’d you happen to come by it?” Kris said after he could speak again.

“That I’m not sure of. “ Todd said, shaking his head. “Stole it, I guess. Without you around a blind man and a colored woman aren’t much protection… Look, just talk to Adam. Show him the journal. Ask him about my brother. If anything, you deserve to know if there was anything between them.”

***

    Kris went to bed early that night, reading the journal to get himself to sleep. Since Adam had left it for him to read once, he didn’t really feel like it was an invasion of privacy. Besides, Todd had read it. Whoever stole it had probably read it as well. The thought made him cringe – that unknown outlaws might have read the intimate details of he and Adam’s private moments was an unsettling thought. Though he had never given a thought to his reputation before, the idea of getting run out of town for being a rumored sodomite held little appeal. Then again, he thought as he read the details of another encounter, not even the threat of hanging could make him give up what he had with Adam. He’d like to see someone try to run them out of town – he’d be ready.

    By the time Adam got into bed, Kris had already drifted off, thoughts of saving Adam from an armed angry mob haunting his head. He woke up to Adam pulling the journal from underneath his arm.

"Not that I disapprove of your reading material, but where did you get this?" Adam said after kissing Kris gently as he stretched out beside him.

"You're not going to believe my afternoon." Kris mumbled sleepily.

"Same here. But you first." Adam looked exhausted and worried. Kris felt somewhat guilty; his days were filled with menial labor and awkward conversations with Dr. Todd while Adam carried such enormous weight on his shoulders. His mood had been steadily declining throughout the week. Though initially excited to work on his pet project again in spite of the circumstances, his scientific enthusiasm had waned as the project was nearing completion. Kris was loath to tell him anything else that would depress him, but this information was critical.

“Dr. Todd talked to me this afternoon about the special project he wanted my help on.” Kris began, turning over to slide his leg over Adam’s torso and tuck his head beneath Adam’s shoulder.

“Finally. What was it? Adam said, sighing softly as he shifted his body to accommodate Kris’s position.

“He wants me to help him prove there’s no truth to the rumor that the Sons of the West are using to get him to cooperate. He was kidnapped as well and initially refused to work, saying he’d rather die. So they dug up some incriminating dirt on his brother and that’s how they’re keeping him here. Of course, he’s been here so long that they’re convinced he’s playing for their team now. Hell, I’m not convinced he’s not on their side. But he said he wants help getting out of here – and proof that the slander about his brother isn’t true.”

Adam contemplated this a moment, looking dubious.

“And how are you supposed to find out news about the brother? He another one of your old school mates?”

Kris paused for a moment and held Adam closer as if saying it out loud would make all sorts of invented scenarios true.

“Dr. Todd’s last name is McIntyre, Adam. He’s Scott’s brother.”

Adam was silent for a long moment, looking from the journal in his hand to Kris.

“Oh.” Adam said, panic beginning to form on his face. “Oh my god. That’s how they know about us. They must be using Todd to get to Scott just like they are using news about Scott to get to Todd. Mother. Fuckers.” Adam cursed, lip curling with rage. “What are they even saying about Scott? What could be so horrible that Dr. Todd would be so afraid?”

“They told Dr. Todd that you. That you and Scott – well, that before me you and he-“ Kris stammered. “That he likes men. They threatened to expose him as a homosexual.”

Adam went rigid and he sat up fast.

“That’s what they’re saying?” Adam asked, brow furrowed in concern.

“Yeah.” Kris felt a little ill. “I don’t know why, I feel – “He swallowed. “I guess I wish you would have told me – if it’s true. Is it? True? I mean, did you?”

“Kristopher.” Adam pulled him close, kissing his hair. “You know that isn’t true. You’ve seen us together; you’ve spent a lot of time with him. Did you ever even get the feeling that he was… like us?”

“No.” Kris admitted, feeling a little foolish. “But he’s never married; I’ve never seen him go into the saloon and get it like a regular single fella. I didn’t really think it, but it bothered me. I don’t know why. The idea of you being with anyone else, ever –“

“You don’t have to worry about it. “ Adam said, hushing him. “Before you there was only one other man. He was my professor at school. I looked up to him, loved him maybe, but I know he didn’t feel the same way. I was just another in a loooong line of willing students. But he was the first person I had run across who understood me. He taught me a lot, so I don’t regret it. And after this…Kris there will never be anyone after you.”

Adam said it in such finality that it gave Kris pause.

“For me neither.” Kris promised, hugging Adam close.

“Don’t say that, Kris. I’d like to think you’d move on, maybe get back together with Katy, if something happened to me.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. We’re going to figure out how to get out of here and rid the world of this Sons of the West crap and that will be that. Happily ever after.” Kris tilted his head forwards and kissed Adam’s chest.

“I guess I should tell you about my day.” Adam said forlornly, obviously trying to choke back tears. “I figured out how to get rid of this facility, and the bomb, and everyone connected to this scheme.”

“You did?” Kris said, hopefully.

“Yeah.” Adam said, his face becoming resolute. “But I’ll need you to do something for me.”

“Anything. What can I do to help?”

“You have to leave. Take Todd, or not, whatever you decide. But I don’t want you here for what is going to happen. I want you away. Far, far away.” Adam hugged him tightly; as if far away was the opposite of what he wanted.

“I’m not afraid, Adam. I’m staying with you no matter what.” Kris insisted.

“On the day that the bomb is ready to launch, I’m going to readjust the detonation impact sensitivity to zero. When they load it, it will explode, killing everyone and everything in a 50 mile radius.” Adam stated simply and scientifically. “I would really prefer you be well away by then. I’d do it sooner but there’s too great a likely hood that the change would be discovered.”

Kris considered this plan, not liking the sound of it.

“But what about you?” Kris said. “If you’re here making the change…” Kris took Adam’s hand and squeezed tightly. “You can’t think I’d leave you, Adam. Or that I’d agree with this course of action.”

“It’s the only way.” Adam said, crying now. “I’ve been through the complex a hundred times. I’ve checked all the equipment, the failsafe devices, everything. These people aren’t stupid, even if they need me to put the finishing touches on the device. I’m exhausted. I’m scared that I won’t be able to go through with it. Knowing that I was saving you would give me the courage I need to finish it.”

“Don’t ask me to do this, Adam.” Kris begged, wiping away his tears. “We’ll find another way.”

“There isn’t. This is all I’ve got. It’s me or who knows how many innocent people. Please. Please leave. I’ll say we had an argument. I’ll say you went off to be with Katy.” Adam was begging. Kris had never heard him beg for anything from anyone. It was too much to bear.

“I’m not gonna run Adam. I won’t let you give up. If I stay here, you’re gonna find another way. I believe in you. Please believe in yourself.”

“Self confidence isn’t exactly an issue of mine.” Adam admitted. “But I know what needs to be done. We’re talking about thousands of lives here. What makes mine more important?” Adam tilted his chin up and kissed him softly, lightly nipping Kris’s lower lip. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, you know that? Having loved you, I can die knowing that I didn’t leave anything undone.”

Kris clung to him, anger boiling up in his chest.

“Adam we have so much left to do. Both of us.”

“Nevertheless, if my last deed on earth is to save the lives of many and the unity of the nation, I can die a happy man – knowing that I will be remembered and knowing that you loved me.”

“Enough of this, Adam. At least promise me you’ll try and find another way.” Kris wasn’t above begging.

“Of course I will. I don’t have much hope but of course I’d prefer not to blow myself up. Why deprive you of my company?” Adam smiled, humor returning to his quirky grin. “Until then we should live every minute like it’s our last, though. Just in case my genius fails us.”

Kris could sense that Adam was trying to distract him and tried his best to resist. But unlike gunfighting, Kris was not well equipped to win a duel of wills with Adam Lambert. In that arena, he was well (and happily) outgunned.

 

**EPITAPH**

“So you’re willing to forgo that last few thousand I owe ya if I can dig up where Adam and Kris were taken?” The Snoop said, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that made Scott’s eyes water.

“That’s right.” Scott nodded resolutely.

“Don’t suppose you’ve given much thought to what you’re going to do when you get there? Not real likely you can science them to death. I am sure if that were possible Adam woulda done it already.”

“I was thinking more of a good old fashioned shotgun approach.” Scott could see Anoop’s expression darken.

“Whatever you did, throwing your life away for no reason isn’t any way to go about getting them back. Like as not you’d all end up dead.” The Snoop leaned back in his chair in thought.

“If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do it all the way. Get everyone together. Take the trackless, plan an all out attack. We’d probably be better off sending for a regiment but they’d take weeks to turn up. Weeks we probably don’t have. Naw, we’re better of leaving. The sooner the better.” Anoop sprung up from his chair and started hastily shoving his notes and clothing into the suitcase sitting on the desk.

“We?” Scott asked, clearly overwhelmed.

“We’ll get the whole group together. I’ll wire Mac, tell him to being every man – and gal – in Westport what can shoot a gun. We can take the trackless tomorrow to Salt Lake City. Should take a day or two but if we pay for express…”

“Salt Lake?” Scott asked again, hopelessly lost in Anoop’s thought process.

“I tracked them days ago using sightings from their Zeppelin – can you believe it – an airship! It didn’t take a genius to figure out where they were headed. Well, maybe it did, if I do say so myself. Anyway, I took a look at the trading caravans heading through there and my guess is that they are due for a shipment of food rather soon. If we can meet them in town we might be able to follow them back to their hiding place.” Anoop stated all in one breath before taking a long pull from his cigarillo and tossing the blunt on the earthen floor. “I’ll just run a brief piece saying I’m away on vacation; maybe see if Matty’s got any new versus to “Krissy the Kid.”

Scott swallowed. Accepting help would likely mean that everyone would find out about his betrayal. Yet, The Snoop was right. He couldn’t do it alone.

“Whaddaya say?” Anoop said, sticking out his hand. “This is going to make me a great story. Might even get me a job at one of the New York papers.

“It sure will.” Scott said, taking his hand. “And I’d be thankful to have you be a part of it.”


	12. From These Great Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events Conclude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Bamberrific, Cover Art by KateKat1010, Illustration by Hai_World

 

** **Prologue:** **

“So by now you’ve figured out why you’re all here.” The Snoop said, addressing the impromptu Westport Concerned Citizen’s brigade.

“The doc’s got himself kidnapped again.” Megan nodded, pulling on her hat. “When do we ride and who do we shoot?”

“Hold on, Mrs. Sarver.” Anoop said, making her blush at the mention of her new moniker. Mac blushed too, an unlikely expression for a sheriff. “We can’t ride. It’s a long way. We’ll have to buy horses in Salt Lake City to get us to where I think the Sons of the West are holed up. Anyone have the scratch to outfit this whole posse with ponies?”

Lil rose her hand shyly, looking unsure of what she was about to say.

“Adam keeps an emergency fund. In case I or Scott would need anything if something should happen to him – enough to get us by. I think…I think this qualifies as an emergency. Don’t you think, Scott?”

Scott was sitting in the back of the room, head hung low and goggles off as if he hoped no one could see him if he couldn’t see them. At the sound of his name he perked up and nodded once, running a hand through his unwashed mass of curls.

“I think that’d be doing right by him. Whatever it takes to get him free. ”

“Kris too!” Matty piped up, arm slung around Allison’s waist. “We gotta get Kris out of there. I mean, I am sure if he wasn’t tied up he’d be out himself by now. Unless he’s waiting for Adam. Yeah, he wouldn’t leave Adam there, not ever.”

“Matty brings up a good point.” Mac said, striding forward confidently. “We don’t know what shape our boys will be in. They could be incapacitated, tied up…maybe worse. If you can’t handle that kind of outcome, you’ve gotta stay home. If you lose it – you’re a goner.” He leveled a long stare at each individual in the room, excepting Scott. “So I want you all to think long and hard about this. I know you want to help the Doc and Arkansas. But at what cost? Are you ready to lay your life on the line for two men that, let’s face it, might already be dead?”

Allison exploded into tears, and Matt pulled her close, shooting a reproachful glance at Mac.

“I ain’t sayin’ it’s likely.” Mac hurried. “But we gotta be prepared for the possibility.” He walked over to Allison and squatted down in front of her. “It’s alright if you don’t wanna come, Miss Iraheta. Adam knows how much you care, you don’t gotta prove nothing.”

“It ain’t about proving nothing, Mac.” Allison said, stifling her tears. “Adam and Kris saved my life. Adam didn’t give up on me when anyone else would. If he’s still alive, I’m gonna do everything I can. And if they’re …not alive, then I’m gonna take out the sonnuvabitch that did the deed.” Mac brightened considerably, knuckling her chin.

“That’s a girl.” He said, rising and returning to the front of the room.

“Are we all agreed?” The Snoop asked, looking around. “Is anybody going to back down.”

“Hell no!” Danny shouted after a moment. “It’s judgment day for the Sons of the West, and I’m their own personal St. Peter.”

“That’s right.” Lil agreed, moving to stand next to Danny. “I’ve got a few things welded together up in the lab that the Sons of the West ain’t never seen. We’ll show ‘em and show ‘em good.”

“Alright.” Anoop nodded, making a few notes. “We’ll meet up in an hour at the trackless station. Pack light and lock up your goods tight. Say goodbye to your next of kin, folks. This might be a rough ride.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Snoop!” Megan thumped him on the back. “Everything will be alright in the end. Y’all ‘ll see.” She gauged the room for a reaction and was pleased to see most people sharing her optimism. But Scott just picked up his head and looked, not at her, but in her general direction. He looked liked he could see something the rest of them couldn’t; something he didn’t like in the least.

***

“So, you’ll do it?” Adam asked, pressing a thick roll of bills into the open hand.

“I’ve got to go into Salt Lake for a food and supply delivery tomorrow. Of course, I’ll have a few of Simon’s henchmen with me. They don’t trust me, you know, not entirely. If you can get him into one of the empty crates without the muscle noticing, yeah, I’ll take him.”

“Get him onto the trackless, but make sure he doesn’t have any money on him. That way he won’t be able to make it back…not in time anyway.” Adam said, biting back the wave of nausea he felt as he imagined Kris waking up and realizing what had happened.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“It’s the only way.” He handed Todd a second bundle, this one consisting of a vial of liquid wrapped in cloth. “When you get him on the train, give him this. He’ll wake up a few seconds later. He’ll be groggy and cold, but awake. Make sure he’s comfortable.” Adam swallowed hard, trying desperately to refrain from tearing up. “Listen…in with the money is a map to my ranch. You should be able to find you brother there. And he’s not…I never…We didn’t. ” Adam felt awkward, not sure how to explain to Todd that his brother wasn’t a sodomite without coming out and saying it. Todd waved it off, though.

“Kris told me. Seems like we were played. Both of us. I’m sorry for my part in it, and his too. You should hear him talk about you, I don’t think he ever admired anyone as much. That was part of the reason why I believed that – the rumor – could be true. I don’t think he would have sold you out willingly.”

“I know.” Adam said, offering Todd his hand. “And if you get Kristopher out of here, you’ll be making up for it tenfold. Todd looked him in the eyes a long moment before taking his hand.

“Scott was right about you. You are a good man, Dr. Lambert, an exceptional human being. If you succeed, I’ll make sure the world knows. You won’t be soon forgotten. A cold comfort, I know-“

“I’ll take any comfort right now.” Adam said softly, eyes far off. “Even a cold one. I don’t feel like a very good person, doing what I’m about to do.”

“He’ll thank you for it someday. You’re giving him life. It’s the best gift you can give him.” Todd patted his shoulder reassuringly, but it did nothing to lift Adam’s spirits. He was giving Kris life beyond the Salt Flats, yes, but it was a life without love. A life knowing he had been betrayed by the person he trusted most. Adam could only hope Kris would find with someone more deserving. Tomorrow. Simon would be here for the launch of The Susan tomorrow afternoon. If Todd left with Kris tomorrow morning, he would be long gone by the time Adam did what he needed to do.

 

**The Tale**

 

“Do it for me, Kristopher.” Adam begged, pressing a warm and almost empty bottle into Kris’s hands and promptly rolling off his bedmate.

“You want me to?” Kris was surprised but satisfied that Adam had a good enough experience with it the last time to want the same treatment again. Though, to be honest, he was content with the way of things as they usually ran. There was something about their typical arrangement that just felt right.

    Not that this felt wrong. Awe contrayre, as the French say. It felt wonderful, as everything did with Adam. Just a bit unusual, which was also part-and-parcel to being with Adam. The unusual was to be expected, celebrated even, so Kris did his best by his man, trying to recall things that Adam had done for him.

By the reaction of the man beneath him, his efforts were appreciated.

“Love you.” Adam cried out, entangling their hands when the crucial moment arrived. “Kristopher, I love you.”

“Love you too, darlin’” Kris responded, awash in his own bliss as Adam constricted around him. They lay together a long time, breathing returning to normal and sweat-slicked skin cooling back to an acceptable temperature. Adam scooted down so that his head was lower than Kris’s and kissed him. It was not a normal post-love-making kiss. Those were soft and short where this was…Kris struggled to think as Adam’s tongue darted between his teeth…this might as well be the kind of kiss to start things up all over again.

“Never wanna lose you.” Adam mumbled into his mouth, at least that’s what it sounded like to Kris, who was fighting a losing battle against Adam’s hands. He wanted to go to sleep, but Adam’s hands were prepping him for an entirely different activity.

“You won’t.” Kris promised, squeezing Adam playfully between the legs. Adam whimpered against Kris’s lips, so Kris repeated the gesture until Adam was pressing into his thigh. Kris wasn’t sure what had gotten into Adam – they hadn’t done this twice in an evening since their first few nights together, when they both had needed to make sure it had really just happened. But he couldn’t pretend to mind, not when Adam claimed his body in a sweet reversal of their earlier position.

“There, Adam.” Kris arched his back, angling his body so that Adam could reach a certain spot inside of him and gasping as Adam found it, again and again. “Need you…” Kris didn’t have to finish his plea. Adam knew him now, could devour him like a well-loved book. Adam burned through his pages, bringing Kris fast to his conclusion and then continued on for his own epilogue.

    Kris lay in peace, body spent and heart full as Adam handed him a glass of water from the bedside pitcher. He drank deep as Adam watched over him, waiting to take the glass and replace it in his hands with a warm bit of cloth. When they were both clean, Adam curled next to him and held him as he fell asleep. Kris was thoroughly exhausted, so he was not surprised that sleep came fast.

“I’m sorry.” Adam whispered in his ear. Kris wanted to explain that it was alright; he had certainly enjoyed himself even if the exertion would take its toll tomorrow, but his mouth couldn’t form the words. He mumbled something, tongue heavy, and hoped Adam would understand. He usually did.

***

    Kris slept heavily and uncomfortably, feeling like their mattress had turned to wood overnight. His arms tingled and ached, but he couldn’t stretch them. They must be pinned between the blankets and Adam. In fact, he really couldn’t move at all. It was disconcerting, but Kris couldn’t focus. They had been up too late, that was all. Kris surrendered to sleep, letting his worries dissipate into dreams.

***

“So you’re saying that they should be along presently?” Anoop said, leaning against the counter of Salt Lake City General Goods. The clerk winced, obviously not wanting to answer, but Mac placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, impending violence implicit in his movement.

“They’re here at the same time every week. But I don’t know what you want with them. They tell me it’s some religious group out there in the flats. Good Mormons they are, some kind of retreat.”

“I don’t know what they told you.” Anoop said, nodding to Mac, who tightened his grip. “But they’ve got friends of ours, innocent folks. We mean to get them out, so you better come clean on what you know.”

The clerk looked from Anoop to Mac; from Anoop’s softly smiling face to Mac’s scowling one.

“We can do this the easy way…” Mac said, leaning in closer.

“I know they come in from the west, every time. From the Salt Flats but you know that already. Dr. Todd should be in to pick up the supplies this afternoon. If you rode due west you might run into him. If you try and mess with him in town, well, you’re going to have to mess with a lot more than just him. They bring a lot of business through here; a lot of palms get greased.” The shopkeep stuttered. “That’s really all I know.”

    Mac eased his grip at Anoop’s nod, and after tying and gagging the clerk lest he alert the local authorities the two men cleared out onto the front porch of the store where the rest of the party was waiting. Lil and Megan had gone to the nearest stable and purchased as many horses as they had; but there would still be people riding two a-horse and some riding in carts.

“Listen up” Anoop said, taking charge of the unorganized posse.”Our information says that the Sons of the West are gonna make a pick up from this store this afternoon. The shopkeeper says if we ride west from here, we should intercept them without anyone in town being the wiser. The point of this operation is to obtain their location and also a way into the compound. If they are expecting on bringing shipment back, they will likely have a large cart. If we can sneak as many of us back on the cart as possible, we might have a shot at infiltrating the compound before they are aware they’ve been compromised. “

“Then what?” Scott asked, speaking up for the first time since they had left Deadwood.

“…We get them out?” Mac offered, looking towards Anoop for confirmation.

“We don’t even know why they are there.” Scott huffed. “Allison and Matty said they went up to Simon’s place and didn’t came back. They were told by the Simon’s goons that they went willingly to go work on Simon’s big project, which we all can guess is the bomb Adam got kidnapped for in the first place.”

“Well they obviously wouldn’t go willingly…” Scott said angrily. “No one works with the Sons of the West willingly.”

“What do you mean, man?” Anoop said, eyeing him cautiously.

“I just mean we should try finding out as much as we can about their situation before we go charging in.”

“Well maybe this Todd fellow can shed some light in on the situation?” Mac said, mounting the largest of the horses, a giant palomino named Saint.

“Todd?” Scott said, taking a few quick steps towards Mac. “What about Todd? How do you know him?”

“Easy there, specs.” Mac said, shaking Scott loose from his arm. “The shopkeeper said someone named Todd was going to be the one picking up the supplies. What’s he to you?”

Anoop shot Scott another warning look, but Scott didn’t want to lie anymore.

“He’s my brother.”

***

    Todd was on edge the entire way across the Salt Flats, and even after the runners were traded out for wheels he kept glancing back over his shoulder to where his secret cargo was stored away. What if Kris woke up early? What if someone at the compound noticed him gone and followed them?

He was so busy looking for trouble behind him that he missed it coming on the horizon.

“This might get interestin’ Doc.” One of Simon’s gunhands held up a small viewing scope and surveyed the dust cloud indicating a large riding party ahead of them by a few miles. “I see a whole posse of strangers, riding hard. Right for us, too.”

Todd took the viewing scope and peered through. Sure enough, there were at least ten riders heading in their direction. He couldn’t make out their faces, but they all looked heavily armed.

“You better get in back, Doc. Let us handle this.” Todd considered his situation. Perhaps in the confusion he could give his guards the slip.

“Let me have a gun. I can help.” Todd ventured, knowing full well that he wasn’t allowed to have a fire arm under normal situations.

“Don’t think so, Doc. Just get in back behind the cargo. We can take out these greenhorns if they start any trouble.”

    Todd did as he was told, palming the vial from Adam as he climbed back amongst the cargo and ducked low. The first shot rang out, from far away. It was a warning shot. The Sons of the West returned fire, and as the sounds of the fighting increased, Todd opened the crate where he had hidden Kris and ducked inside. The crate was narrow, only wide enough for one but deep enough to conceal them both. Kris was unconscious, but his body twitched as Todd shifted his weight down on top of him. Todd pressed the vial to Kris's lips, sliding his hand beneath Kris's head and lifting slightly as he poured the contents down Kris's throat. Kris swallowed reflexively. Todd waited a few long moments before Kris's eyelids fluttered. Todd clasped his hand down over Kris's mouth to prevent him from screaming, though judging from the sounds of the gunfight outside, an extra scream would likely go unnoticed.

     If the folks up ahead were more than simple robbers, they could perhaps provide a more reliable escort to town. If they were bandits, then Todd figured that an armed and conscious Arkansas was a sight better than nothing, which if the sounds of his “comrades” falling into the dust was anything to go by, was what he’d be left with after the initial firefight.

    Kris’s eyes were fully open now, darting wildly around the crate. Todd was thankful his hands were bound, or he was sure that Kris would have been able to shove him directly up and through the lid of the crate. As it was, Kris arched his back hard in an effort to free himself.

“Shhh.” Todd said. “Listen. We’re under fire. The guards don’t know you’re here. I think…I think help is on the way.”

Todd felt a sharp pain in his hand as Kris bit down hard. Todd pulled away instinctively, but Kris didn’t shout. Instead he only mouthed a word, his face white with panic.

“Adam.”

When Todd didn’t answer Kris mouthed it again, and again. Each time growing more and more frantic.

“He asked me to take you. He drugged you. He wanted to save you, Kris.” Todd explained finally. Kris’s eyes blazed and he screamed, letting out the loudest noise Todd had ever heard a human make. There was rage and sadness and desperation in the unintelligible sound. Unable to cover his eyes, Kris fell silent and turned his head in an effort to disguise the tears falling from his eyes.

Only then did Todd notice that the gunfire had stopped. Either the fight was over, or Kris’s inhuman yell had silenced it temporarily. Either way, their cover was blown.

***

    Kris felt like he was moving underwater. His eyelids were heavy as they struggled to open. He felt weight on top of him. _Adam_, he thought, thrill rushing through his veins even though his body wasn’t reacting the way it normally would.  It occurred to him, then, that the smell was all wrong. The person on top of him smelled far too much like salt and wood. In fact, the smell was everywhere, not just on top of him. It was all around him.

He forced his eyes open all the way, blinking the world into focus.

_Dr. Todd? _

    He opened his mouth to speak, but Dr. Todd pressed a hand down over his mouth and mumbled a warning. Kris struggled to process this information and make sense of their situation. Was the compound under attack? They could be hidden, he supposed, in one of the warehouses. But how had he gotten there? He heard gunfire and the floor beneath him bounced slightly. They were moving.

    Kris realized that they weren’t in a warehouse at all. They were on a wagon, which could really only mean one thing. He began to panic. Where was Adam? Was Adam with them? He knew in the pit of his stomach, though, what had happened. Or maybe what was going to happen. What Adam was trying to do.

A stab of white-hot anger pressed into his stomach, and Kris lashed out against the only person he could reach, biting Todd hard on the hand.

“Adam.” Kris mouthed, begging Todd to deny the theory Kris had forming in his mind. Their time together last night was, Kris was sure of it now, Adam’s own personal garden of Gethsemane. He had memorized Kris’s body with his mouth, as thought he would never see it again. It was because he had not expected to.

“He drugged you.” Todd confirmed, and Kris thought back to the glass of water, and how Adam had apologized, kissing him on the back of the neck.

_Betrayed with a kiss. _

    Kris felt the rational part of his mind slipping away as emotion took the reins and pulled him sharply left off the well-worn trail of right-thinking behavior. Had Adam really condemned him to life? Was Adam dead already, had he slept unknowingly through Adam’s last moments on earth? Kris screamed in impotent rage, straining against his bonds and bucking his hips hard against the man on top of him in an effort to free himself.

    His back and thigh muscles were sore and the pain felt good; his only physical proof that Adam had ever existed at all. He had no ring, no photograph, no glove or any other lover’s trinket. Only an angry, empty heart and a soreness between his legs to hold onto the fact that he had ever been loved at all.

    Kris pushed up with his entire body, slamming Todd hard into the top of the crate. The gunfire had stopped now, and Kris wondered what had been the cause of the ceasefire. Maybe they weren’t that far from the compound yet. Perhaps they hadn’t even left; perhaps they were stopped on the way out. Hope reared her beautiful head and Kris shoved upwards again, screaming out for Adam with all the rage he could fill his lungs with.

Suddenly Kris’s vision went white as the lid of the crate was opened and the high noon sunlight filled his frame of view. Just as suddenly there was someone to block out the sun leaning over him, pulling Todd up and off.

“Adam!” Kris shouted again, daring to hope that perhaps this was all a misunderstanding, and now that Adam was here –

But his eyes adjusted and he found himself looking into the confused face of Fightin’ Mac Sarver. No, they couldn’t be that far – unless he had been out for days – unless Adam was already…

Kris screamed again, but this time it was a tortured howl and Kris felt more beast than human, like a creature of the Fragments.

“Easy there, Kid.” Mac said, lifting him out of the crate and over his shoulder as if he were nothing more than a girl.

“Careful, he could be hurt!” Kris heard Lil’s voice and screamed again. He must be back home – he couldn’t tell with his face buried in Mac’s shoulder.

“He’s fine.” Dr. Todd said, voice shaking. “I am not sure if this hysteria is brought on by the drug Adam used to knock him out or if –“

“Adam drugged him?” Mac asked incredulously, and Kris couldn’t help but sob into Mac’s shoulder. “Doc you better start talkin’ cause we don’t have the time to waste. Where’s Adam and what’s this nonsense you’re tryin’ to sell me about Arkansas?” His voice was booming, and Kris considered the very real possibility that he was about to be used as an impromptu club. Mac mentioning Adam had calmed him. If Mac was asking where he was, perhaps the explosion hadn’t gone off yet. Surely he would have heard of it. He struggled against Mac’s hold on him, and Mac set him down.

    Kris blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the light. He was in the desert somewhere, nowhere near Westport as far as he could tell. He looked west and saw, with the greatest sense of relief he had ever experienced, the white Salt Flats stretching their glowing expanse as far as his eyes could see. They couldn’t be more than ten miles from the compound. He took off running, but only got a few feet before Todd gave a warning yelp and Mac grabbed him with two strong arms.

“Where do you think you’re going, Kid?” Mac said, picking him up off the ground. “Snoop get over here, something’s wrong with Arkansas.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him.” Todd said, jumping off the back of the wagon. “He just knows that unless we go back to stop him, Adam’s going to blow himself up. Along with the entire facility. To save the country, before you ask why. Look around you. Would you rather the bomb go off here or in Washington DC, killing a million people in the process? What Adam’s doing is necessary – he understands that but Arkansas here wouldn’t see reason. So Adam took the decision out of his hands and asked me to get Kris out. Begged me to, more like.” Todd walked close to Kris, looking him in the eyes.

“Kris if you have any-“ Todd glanced towards Mac, clearly unsure of how much to say in front of other people “ – respect for Dr. Lambert, you have to let him do this. You’d do it for him if you were in his shoes.”

    Kris considered it a moment. If he knew that by dying he could save the lives of thousands, including Adam, that he’d do whatever it took to make sure Adam was safe and then he’d gladly go to his death. But the circumstances had changed. Kris looked around to see more horses arriving. Horses with familiar riders.

“Y’all…you came.” Kris said, looking around at his assembled posse of friends. He saw Danny, who had brought along a few of his parishioners. Megan, who had hopped off her horse to stand beside Mac. Matty and Allison were astride one horse, looking nervous but determined. Lil was there as well, pulling a cart that carried an arsenal of bizarre looking contraptions Kris couldn’t even guess at the uses for. The Snoop and Mac were there of course…and Scott, who rode up last.

“Well of course we did.” Megan said, looking incredulous. “Why, as soon as we figured out where you could be, we were off lickety- split. What kind of no good, lily-livered-“

“Todd!” Scott shouted, leaping off his horse and running towards his brother. “I never thought I’d see you again. I thought you were dead.”

“I thought you were-“ Todd started to say but stopped himself just in time when Kris coughed loudly “-never mind. How did you find me?”

“I just wish I would have come sooner. “ Scott moved the goggles away from his eyes as they hugged tightly. Kris turned away to give them a moment, and because their tearful reunion made his heart ache. He understood why Adam did what he did, but the manner of his betrayal stung him deeply. It was strange, after being so open amid the Sons of the West, to have to pull back his emotions now. But if they were going to save Adam, it was best that Kris pull up the veil of secrecy once more, at least in front of the group at large. After a moment, Anoop strode forward as several members of the group looked confused and a little edgy at the delay.

“Alright.” Anoop said. “Sorry to break up the reunion. But we’re working against the clock here, if I’m guessing correctly and I usually do. So let’s piece together what the situation is now and what we can do about it. Kris-“ Anoop turned to Kris but abruptly changed his mind when he saw how Kris looked. Kris rubbed his face, trying to pull himself together. “Todd. It’s Todd, right? Todd is Scott’s brother, everyone. Dr. Todd, why don’t you tell us what’s happening.”

    Todd launched into a detailed explanation of the compound and its defenses as well as the sequence of events leading up to the launch of The Susan with her weapons payload. He glossed over how Kris came to be in a crate, saying only that Adam had enlisted his aid in getting Kris to safety since Kris was unwilling to leave. He related Adam’s plan to change the bombs trigger so that it would explode fifteen minutes after activation rather than upon impact.

“Why fifteen minutes?” Matty asked, looking perplexed. “Why not an hour? Why not wait until it’s up in the sky and it won’t hurt anyone.”

“The timing mechanism was only added as a failsafe against a faulty drop. If the bomb would fail to detach from The Susan, the pilot could land the aircraft, utilize the timer, and take off again to be clear of the bomb. “ Todd explained.

“The timer works based on a coil of wire.” Scott broke in, indicating with his hands the design of the mechanism. “There is only so much room for the coil to fit, so your time is limited by the length of the wire. If the bomb were physically larger you could make the time longer but it is already almost larger than practical. The government felt that fifteen minutes would be sufficient time to make an escape without giving the enemy enough time to disarm the bomb, if I remember the initial specifications correctly.”

“That’s exactly it.” Todd said, nodding. “You must have studied Adam’s notes on the timing mechanism pretty well.”

“Studied them?” Scott asked, looking surprised. “I wrote them. Adam doesn’t have the patience for precise mathematics. Anything that required intense calculation he would have me work up. I designed the entire timing function – once he gave me the vision. For the mechanism.” Scott said, clarifying his meaning since Adam had, literally, given him vision.

“That’s all well and good.” Kris said, growing impatient. “But we can’t let Adam blow himself up. I won’t stand by and let him do it. There’s gotta be another way, with all of us here.” He looked around, eager for anyone to suggest something that would save Adam. No one spoke up. “You’ve gotta be kidding me – y’all rode out here and now we’re going to saddle up and head for the hills while Adam gives his life to-“

“It’s what he wants. You can’t let your personal feelings get in the way of his plan.” Todd interrupted, and Kris wheeled on him. All the anger and frustration that had been building up ever since he stepped foot inside the research facility came spilling out of him. His trigger finger literally itched, but his gun belt was disturbingly empty.

“I don’t care what he thinks he wants. He’s not going to die because no one was brave enough to take a stand before it got to this point. Yeah, Yeah. I know Simon had you in a rough spot. You and half the people down in that lab. But you all played a long, so eager to be part of the problem so long as your own lives and loved ones didn’t bear the brunt of the damage. Well I’m done with playing along. I’m done with following orders and acting according to plan. I’m going to follow my own gut, and it’s telling me that Adam, that Dr. Lambert isn’t supposed to die in there. Not like this. It ain’t right and it ain’t fair.” Kris lowered his voice to a growl and grabbed Todd’s shirt. “And as for my personal feelings, they’ve got nothing to do with it.”

“Yeah! They’re friends, and Kris would never leave one of his friends behind. He’s saved me like five times already!” Matt chimed in, looming ominously over Kris’s shoulder and sneering at Todd.

“Kris?” Scott said, and Kris eased his grip on Todd’s shirt at the sound of Scott’s voice. “I just got my brother back. If you could hold off killing him till we’ve caught up, I’d be much obliged.” Kris looked up at Scott, and there was understanding in Scott’s eyes, apparent even though the thick goggles. Kris dropped Todd and embraced Scott, knowing that Scott knew how he must be feeling right now and didn’t judge him for it. It was good to let down the pretense even for a moment.

“What’s that for?” Scott said, chuckling.

“I missed you, man. I’ve missed all of you. You’re the best friends a fella could ask for.” Kris said, stumbling over the awkward moment. Allison coo’d and Matt looked like he was about to cry for joy. Scott recoiled slightly, as if he’d been punched and moved next to his brother. Todd looked slightly frightened of Kris now that they were outside of the compound, as if only now realizing that his erstwhile errand boy was in actuality a living legend.

“I’ve got it.” Anoop shouted, breaking up the reverie of reunion.

“What?” Kris asked eagerly, trying to refrain from hugging Anoop as well. His panic and fear was giving away to a desperate, grasping elation that everything would be okay now, as long as he wasn’t alone in his rescue effort.

“We use their plan against them.” Anoop said, pacing around the circle of comrades. We sneak in on this cart as far as we can and when we can’t hide any longer, we mount an attack, focusing on two areas. Team A will concentrate on getting a hold of the bomb and holding the position until Adam can rewire it. Kris you’ll lead that team, because you know the layout of the building and, if some reason Adam isn’t there, you’ll probably be able to find him. Scott, you’ll go with him, since you know the most about the timer and could re-wire it yourself if Adam isn’t there. Team B will make for the Zeppelin and wrest control of it from the guards. Danny and Mac, you’ll lead that team. Todd and I will go with and see if we can make heads or tails out of how to fly it. Once Team A sets up the bomb, they’ll join up with Team B and we’ll fly straight up until we’re clear of the radius of the explosion. I hope one of you science fellows can figure out how far that is.”

Kris couldn’t refrain from hugging Anoop after that, and Anoop patted his shoulder awkwardly.

“I don’t know what Adam gave you to knock you out man, but you are seriously ruining the image I worked so hard on over the last few years.” Anoop said. “So unless anyone else needs to get any hugging out of the way, we really should be off.”

Kris went over to one of the dead men and removed his pistols and bandoleer. Thinking “waste not” he grabbed the other bandoleers as well, feeling like he was going to need a whole lotta bullets.

***

    They rode across the flat desert with relative ease. Kris took the seat next to Lil on her wagon full of death-machines, not wanting to talk but knowing if there was a soul that he could break down in front of, it was Mama Lil. Sure enough, once they hit the flats she squeezed his hand.

“We’re gonna get him home safe, baby. Just wait and see.”

“What makes you do sure?” Kris mumbled, hating himself for his wavering belief in their efforts. Anoop’s plan had seemed brilliant on the surface, but Kris couldn’t help but feel like it was too easy. That it was something Adam should have thought of. Then again, Adam didn’t have the benefit of numbers. The two of them could never have taken on the entire facility. Even with the small army they had at present, Kris didn’t like the odds.

    When they got closer to the compound, they slowed their pace and rode in close formation behind the large supply wagon. With any luck, the security detail would be paying more attention to the northern approach, from which Simon and his entourage would be due shortly. Kris hoped that they could hold off setting off the bomb till Simon arrived, feeling slightly guilty. Kris didn’t like this business of killing – it felt like a coward’s route, dropping a bomb on your enemies from a safe distance. He’d rather kill Simon face to face, but this was more practical and it achieved the necessary result, and wiped out the lab and any traces of the Devilstone Device project in the process. It was necessary.

They were within a mile of the compound now; Kris could see it if he peered to the side of the supply wagon. The wheels of their smaller wagon slid awkwardly over the salt, where the runners of the supply wagon cut a much smoother path. The horses didn’t like the terrain either, prancing nervously across the ground. Perhaps they could sense then nervousness of their riders.

“Hold!” Kris heard the shout from the guard. _Here it comes._

“Just getting back with the supplies.” Todd shouted, waving is arms.

“Where’s Jorge?” The guard questioned. “Or Esteban? Javier, any of your escort?”

Todd paused for what seemed like infinity. Kris slid down from his seat and edged his way close behind the supply wagon.

“I hired new guards.” He said “They’re pretty eager to get started.”

    It was all the hint Kris needed. Without waiting for the guard to respond, Kris ducked out from his cover and trained his pistol at the man in front of the entrance. He squeezed the trigger, realizing that it was the first time he’d fired a gun in over a week. He felt a rush of satisfaction as the man fell to the ground – a good first shot. The caravan fanned out, the need for speed overtaking the need for stealth at last. He cut one of the horses free from the supply wagon as Todd did the same and mounted up, tossing Dr. Todd one of his pistols.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Todd said, looking surprised at the aid.

“Don’t worry about it. Other things to think about now.” Kris nodded. “Good luck.”

“Same, Arkansas. Take care of Scott.”

    The two men spit paths, Kris and Scott taking Lil, Matty, Allison, and a few of the parishioners Danny had rustled up while Todd led Anoop, Danny, Mac, and Megan towards the launching area for the Zeppelin. Kris chanced a last look back and realized the flaw in their plan. If the second team failed in their mission, the first team would be blown to bits along with the rest of the compound. He wondered if everyone had squared with the likelihood that this could be a one way trip. In fact, by the sounds of gunfire all around him, it was more likely than not.

_Get to the bomb_. He told himself. First things first. That bomb had to get re-wired or all of this would be in vain. They ran into heavy opposition in front of the warehouse where the bomb had been moved to transport it to the Zeppelin. Kris fired as precisely as he could, missing his second pistol. He wished he could yank Matt’s out of his hands; the pianist was firing haphazardly and not doing very much good. Allison was faring better; her shots felled the less experienced gunmen, who dared to dart dangerously from cover point to cover point without regard for their safety. Lil had pulled a large metal tube from the back of the wagon and Kris didn’t realize what it was for until she pointed it at a large group of crates, where a number of gunmen were hiding. She depressed the trigger and a canister flew out of it, hissing and whirring and exploding just as it impacted the makeshift cover. Kris whistled in appreciation.

“She ain’t subtle but she packs a punch!” Lil called, searching out a new target. Kris felt the itch to move faster. He wanted to lay eyes on Adam, make sure he was alright and hadn’t been locked away at the first sign of trouble.

“Cover me.” He shouted to Lil, and pressed ahead faster, riding his new mount in a spectacular fashion around whatever obstacles he could find and over various dead bodies that lay in his path. The warehouse bay door was open, and Kris dismounted and entered on foot, Scott close behind him while Lil, Matt, and Allison remained to finish off the opposition and remain on look out.

“There’s the bomb.” Scott said, pointing out a large silver object near the center of the room. The bomb was surrounded by scientists, working in the makeshift laboratory that had been constructed in the middle of the warehouse. He was surprised to see them still at work, but when he got a little further into the warehouse, he understood. There were so many various devices cutting, buzzing, whirring, and pinging that the sounds of gunfire from outside didn’t stand out amidst the cacophony of invention. Kris looked through the team of white coats, and was thrilled to spot Adam’s jet black hair amidst the crowd.

“What’s the score here?” Scott asked, defaulting to Kris for leadership. “You wanna just take them all out?” Kris shook his head – these men were scientists, many of them here under duress or because they had been hired and didn’t know the plans for the project they were working on.

“Stay out of sight.” Kris said, striding forward quietly, wanting to get as close as he could without arousing any suspicion. “They know me. You’ll know when to act.”

“Kris. Before this starts, I’ve gotta let you know-“ Scott said, looking desperate. Kris hesitated a moment, wondering what could be troubling Scott. The rumor that Todd had heard pushed to the forefront of his mind. Adam had denied it; and Kris had believed him – but that same man had promised not to make him leave and then had drugged him and sent him packing like a crate of unused potatoes. Kris shook his head.

“Now’s not the time. Save it for when we’re safe in the sky.” He said, not wanting to know now if Adam had lied. He couldn’t take it right now. Without giving Scott the chance to argue, he rounded the corner and entered the work area. He didn’t get very far before he was stopped by one of the junior scientists.

“I thought you weren’t allowed in the laboratory, Arkansas?”

“Well, this ain’t the lab, is it?” Kris said, trying hard to stand tall in his boots.

“Not strictly speaking, but Simon left pretty clear orders that you were not to…disturb Dr. Lambert during the day. I am sure whatever you _need_ can wait till evening.”

“I ain’t so sure of that. This is pretty urgent. Just let me on through. You’d be doing me a big favor.” Kris said, smiling as widely as he could.

“And why would I want to help a miserable little cocksucker like yourself?” The scientist grinned, clearly enjoying being higher on the social ladder for perhaps the first time in his life.

“Cause if you don’t, I’m going to give you a real science lesson. A little experiment with a few variables. For simplicity’s sake let’s call them my bullets and your brain.” Kris pulled back his duster to reveal his gun. The scientist gulped, looking a bit green. “Now, just play a long and no one has to get hurt.” Kris promised, nodding his head and keeping the smile on his face. The scientist stepped aside, letting him through.

“Hey there, Doc.” Kris said, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. It didn’t work very well, particularly when Adam turned to face him, shock evident in his eyes. They exchanged looks for a long moment, Adam’s expression turning from shock to guilt to panic.

“Hey, Kris. I thought…I thought you had gone to the City with Dr. Todd.” Adam stammered, pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket and pretending to dab sweat off of his forehead. Kris saw him surreptitiously wipe his eyes, though, and fought to keep from taking his hand to try and assure him everything would be alright.

“Yeah. I did. We met that specialist you sent for, brought him in. The guy that invented the timer for Mr. Kaboom here. “ Kris fibbed, nodding his head and trying to think of more subtle ways to clue Adam in to what was happening.

“Oh.” Adam said, obviously confused but trying to play along with whatever Kris was playing at. “Well, that’s good. Did you get the supplies?”

“Nah.” Kris said, shaking his head. “Turns out a different train came in today. A passenger train. From Deadwood. Brought in all sorts of interesting folks. Dr. Todd thought he’d bring them here to see the launch. In fact, he’s up by The Susan now, making arrangements to give them all a ride back home.” Adam’s face lit up in comprehension and Kris felt pretty smooth, but the feeling didn’t last.

“What do you mean?” The scientist next to Adam asked. “The Susan is booked today, we’re loading the bomb up in an hour. Launch prep is already underway.”

“I, uh. I was joking.” Kris mumbled, but the damage was already done.

“Simon needs to be told about this. Get this runt out of here.” The scientist motioned to one of the guards standing by the entrance to the barracks.

    Kris hesitated only a moment before pulling his gun and shooting the guard, knowing that if he missed he could hit the bomb and doom them all. All work ceased and panic erupted. Kris worried that the situation was beyond his control, especially as other guards came running into the room, looking for a fight. Scott stepped out from behind the crates and opened fire while Adam grabbed Kris and pulled him close to the bomb.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Adam asked, popping open a panel. “And what the fuck is Scott doing here?” Kris opened his mouth to explain, but Lil, Matt, and Allison had evidentially run out of enemies outside and tore across the open space as a unit, shooting at the guards as they emerged. “You weren’t kidding – there really was a train from Deadwood.” Adam said, laughing gleefully as Lil shot another canister of flaming death into a hallway.

“This is only half. The rest are firing up The Susan. We’re just waiting for you to finish tinkering around in here and then we have front row tickets to the biggest fireworks exhibition you’ve ever seen.” Kris said, shooting Adam a cocky grin as he shot a guard who was running towards them, axe in hand.

“Hey!” Kris shouted at a group of scientists that had chosen to lie on the floor and cower until the gunfire stopped. “If you want to live, push some of those crates in front of the hallway doors. Block them up. The sooner we get out of here the sooner I’ll make sure you all get out alive.” A few of them looked up at him, and he waved his pistol in their direction. “Or, you know, lay there and wait for the bomb to go off and die a horribly fiery death. Whatever’s your pleasure.” They sprang up at that, working together as fast as they could to plug up the many entrances to the warehouse. It was only a temporary deterrent though, and Kris worried about the team assaulting the Zeppelin. They could use the extra muscle.

“Come on, Adam. I don’t want to rush you, but we need to move.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to rush this. If I’m off at all-“

“Let me help.” Scott said, appearing by his side, looking pale and out of breath. Adam looked at him quizzically, but Scott shoved him aside. “Come on Adam, you know I know this mechanism inside and out. I just need to switch the timer over to the impact plate and we’ll be set. It’s an easy fix.”

“Well, you designed it!” Adam said, taking Scott’s gun and stepping aside.

The gunfire had all but stopped, and Kris sent Lil, Allison, and Matt to help with the Zeppelin.

“You should go to.” Adam told Kris, but Kris shook his head.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Kris insisted. “If we go, we go together.”

“I’m so sorry, Kris.” Adam said, taking Kris by the shoulders. “I thought it was the only way. It was the only way. I wanted you to live. I wanted you to have a normal life with a wife and kids and a house and -“

“Stop Adam. I gave up on those things a long time ago. Before I met you, in fact. The minute I started chasing down Katy’s kidnappers I chose this path. Gunslingers don’t get to have a white picket fence. They don’t settle down till they are lyin’ in their grave. If anything, meeting you has saved me from that sort of fate. A loveless life. Hell, even if I died today I’d die having loved you and that means my life was well lived in spite of the mistakes I made. Don’t try and chose my future for me, Adam. I’ve already chosen you.”

“Fuck, you’re making me cry.” Adam said, pulling Kris into a short kiss.

Their reunion was interrupted by a single shot from a pistol.

Kris pulled away from Adam, terrified by what he would see, but Adam was whole and intact. He looked around and his stomach turned at what he saw.

Simon was standing in the center of the room, gun barrel smoking and still pointed at Scott, who had fallen to the ground. Blood was pooling from him at an alarming rate. Adam screamed and started to rush to Scott’s side, but Kris grabbed his arm and pushed him down hard, stepping in front of him protectively.

“Stay down.” Kris said, sounding calmer than he felt. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Adam crying, Scott bleeding out onto the floor, and Simon scowling and pointing his gun barrel at Kris.

“This has gone far enough, Mr. Allen. The time for your plucky attempts at heroism is up.” Simon said, waving the pistol to indicate that Kris should come closer. “Come on. Step away from Dr. Lambert. I need lover boy there to fix whatever damage was done to my weapon, and I think your life would provide excellent incentive.”

“If you think I’m gonna play hostage you’ve got another think coming, Simon.”

“Oh-ho? You can draw and fire your gun before I have a chance to pull the trigger, can you? Now that’d I’d like to see.”

“Do as he says, Kris, he’s got the drop on you.” Adam said, voice shrill in terror.

“I’m not afraid to die.” Kris said and he was surprised to realize that he meant it. “If you shoot me, Simon, you better aim well. Cause if you don’t kill me outright, then with my last breath I’m going to shoot right into that big pretty bomb of yours and blow this whole joint sky high.”

“You wouldn’t.” Simon said, eyes narrowing.

“Try me.”

“You don’ t have to…” A weak voice said, and Kris turned. Scott was on his feet, blood spattering on the floor, and he was closing the access panel on the timer mechanism. Simon fired again, the bullet sinking deep in his shoulder. Kris pulled his gun from his hip and fired, not taking time to bring the gun level to his eyes. The shot felt good and sang true, catching Simon where Kris supposed his heart would be had he not been born without one. Simon fell to the ground, and Kris strode towards him to kick the gun away. He had been shot at by too many freshly dead men to take the chance. Adam was kneeling on the floor by Scott.

“Just a minute. Just a minute. I’ll have you stitched up in no time.” Adam was saying, wiping the blood away from the stomach wound.

“Not enough time.” Scott said, waving at the bomb as his voice strained around the words. “I started the timer. Didn’t know what else to do.”

“There’s plenty of time.” Adam said. “I can stop it.”

“You know you can’t. You can’t take that chance. You need every minute to get out. Adam. Kris. There’s something…”

“It doesn’t matter!” Adam yelled, trying to gather Scott up in his arms.

“It does. I’m sorry I told them about you. It was for Todd. I was trying to get him back… I tried to tell you so many times.”

Kris thought instantly to what Scott had been trying to tell him before the fight had begun in earnest. He felt foolish and ashamed now that he hadn’t let the man speak.

“None of that.” Kris said, kneeling down next to Adam. “You were a good friend to us, looked kindly on us when many in your position would have damned us for being what we are. You tried to do what was right by you and yours. Ain’t no shame in that.”

“Never thought it would end up like this. I got to see him again – and you both. I got to save the day. Who would have thought?” He smiled serenely, blood pooling around his lips. “I know you don’t believe, Adam, but if you’d say a prayer for me, I’d thank you for it. And make sure Todd gets home to Mom and Dad. “

“We’re not letting you go!” Adam said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“Adam, I’m already gone. You should be gone too. Make him go, Arkansas. Get everybody gone, or you’ll have me to face wherever we’re headed after this.” Scott said, letting go of Adam’s hand.

“Come on, Adam.” Kris said, pulling at Adam’s shoulder. “He’s right. If we don’t move now, his death won’t mean a thing. We can grant him that much at least. He’s…letting us get out of here, all of us. Ain’t nothing more powerful a man can do than lay down his life for his friends. Someone else I know expressed a similar sentiment recently.”

Scott nodded gratefully, and Adam laid him down, making sure he was as comfortable as possible.

“Goodbye.” Adam said as Scott closed his eyes.

“God bless you.” Kris said, pulling of his goggles so that his face was unobstructed. It just seemed right.

***

    Kris and Adam rode their horses hard to the launch area of the Susan, waving to Mac, who called back into the bay of the Zeppelin to announce their arrival. They only had ten more minutes.

The Zeppelin started to climb even before the door was shut behind them, and Adam had barely made it through the door before he collapsed against the wall, a bloody mess.

Mac looked at them both and turned to Kris for an explanation.

“Can’t help but notice that you’re a man short.” Mac drawled, voice pitched low. “Scott didn’t…”

“It was Simon.” Kris said. “Simon caught us unaware and he saw Scott fiddling with the bomb. He shot him and-“

“It should have been me!” Adam said bitterly. “You never should have came.”

“That ain’t your call to make.” Mac said, squatting down next to Adam. “Scott came here cause there was something he needed to do. He told us all about what he’d done, and asked for our help in makin’ up for it. Kris here was just a victim of circumstance. If you hadn’t put him on that wagon, we’d still have come, so don’t go blaming Kris.”

“I wasn’t.” Adam sniffled.

“You were. Blaming him, blaming the rest of us, but most of all, blaming yourself. It ain’t that deep, Adam. Scott made up for what he did to you, and saved a lot of people in the process. Not the least of which is you. If you can’t see that, then you ain’t much of a genius are you.”

They were interrupted by Allison, who ushered them into the flight room.

“If you’re up for it, Doc, I’d like you to take over flying this thing.” Todd said, looking distracted. “I think I need a minute.” He rose from the pilot’s chair and left the room, leaving Adam to hastily take over the controls.

“He saw you ride up.” Anoop said softly. “Didn’t take much to figure out what happened, at least the general premise. Managed to take off in spite of it, though. He’s a good guy, really. A bit pretentious but a good guy.”

“I’ll fill him in on what he needs to know.” Mac volunteered. “Danny, I think you should come along.”

“Of course.” Danny said, pulling his bible out from his coat pocket. “It’s good to see you again, Adam.” Danny said, touching Adam’s shoulder. “We’ll talk later, if you’d like.”

“I would.” Adam mumbled. “I need someone to teach me how to pray. I owe him one.”

The Zeppelin rose further and further into the sky , the sun a mere memory behind the mountains as the stars blinked into existence.

“I wish he could have seen this.” Kris said, squeezing Adam’s hand. “But think of all the sights that Scott got to see in his life because he knew you. Think of all the beautiful things in the world he got to experience. I know he died without regretting having you for a friend, and wished he’d been a better one in return.”

“I know.” Adam said, voice cracking a bit. Kris wiped the tears from Adam’s eyes so that he could see clearly. “He was a great friend, regardless of whatever he told Simon.”

“He certainly proved himself such.” Kris agreed, placing his arm around Adam’s shoulders.

“We’re high enough, now.” Adam said, turning the crank to steady the Zeppelin. “Now we wait. I need to be sure.” He rose from his chair and took Kris’s hand as if to steady himself.

    They had not reached altitude a minute too soon. A deafening blast shook through the airship, rattling every square inch of her, but she held true. Kris leaned forward, expecting to see a fiery orange cataclysm below. Instead, Kris gasped as the sight stole his ability to breathe.

    The compound was completely gone, as if it never was. In its place was a sea of endless glowing blue, so bright it stung his eyes. The earth was blue as far as he could see; the Salt Flats as bright as starlight. Adam pulled him close and Kris buried his face in Adam’s chest for a moment.

“I can’t believe it.” Adam muttered.

“It sure is beautiful.” Kris said, peeking out to look at the phenomenon again.

“No. Well, yes, but that’s incidental. Kristopher. Do you remember how I invented the Bluefire light? When I started your arm on fire?”

“Of course.” Kris chuckled. “It was a pretty monumental occasion. Made some bright lights of our own, if I remember correctly.”

“We did. But not like this. I can’t believe I didn’t hypothesize this. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it on this scale.”

“Adam, what? Spell it out for your humble cowpoke here.”

“The redfire plant is an essential component of the Devilstone Device. It helps enhance the output of energy, in this case, a large burst of kinetic energy rather than a burn. I developed the sound pylons to work similarly, but to create a sonic burst rather than an explosive burst. But as with the Bluefire light design-“

“Adam. Over my head.” Kris said. “Just spit out your great revelation.”

“Remember your sweat? The salt…it sustained the energy. That’s how I made the Bluefire lights.”

“So…you just made the world’s largest bluefire light?” Kris said, cocking an eyebrow. It was a neat effect, but he didn’t really see the need for an area the size of the Salt Flats to remain lit up.

“Kristopher. Think. Back east, they have those fancy electric light bulbs – they even have electric motors now, but those all require energy. We can get energy from a lot of things, but we usually get it from coal.”

“Okay…” Kris said, still not following.

“Coal is hard to get. Harder than Devilstone even. People die in those mines. Children die in those mines. On top of that, back east, they burn coal in these large plants. It’s the newest development. They burn dirty, too, great billowing black smoke into the sky. If we used this reaction instead, this Devilstone reaction – why, the Salt Flats could bring electricity to the West. It’s a practical solution. I can’t…I need to write this down. I need to-“

Adam stopped in his tracks and turned back to Kris, sighing. He leaned low and joined their lips, soft and slow. Kris relaxed into the kiss, drinking it in like clean water after a ride through the Badlands. Adam pulled away, running has hands down Kris’s sides.

“But first, I owe you an apology. For trying to get rid of you. And a thank you, for being so tough to be rid of.”

“I made you a promise, Adam.” Kris said. “I might not be able to say it in church like I’d like to, but I made it in front of you, and God, and I meant it. Though good times and bad, through explosions and monsters and train robbers and whatever else life wants to throw at us, I’m going to be by your side.”

“Then what God has joined, let no man put asunder.” Adam took his hand and kissed it, pressing his forehead to Kris’s as they stood a moment longer in the brilliant blue glow

**Epitaph**

_    Well, folks. I had a nice relaxing vacation, hope y’all didn’t miss me too much. Since not much happened ‘round Deadwood I thought I’d fill you in on my trip. The Snoop had the misfortune to take a holiday to visit his new found friends, Krissy the Kid and Dr. Lambert, who had recently been pressed into service by the Sons of the West. With a little help from the Westport Regulars, as I like to call them, The Snoop rode in, guns blazing, stole a Zeppelin, and rescued our heroes._

_    Of course, our heroes had problems of their own, battling with Simon Cowell, the mad moneybags behind the Sons of the West, in a battle of wits and bombs. That’s right, turns out his master plan was to drop a Devilstone-fueled bomb onto Washington, DC – splitting our fair country up (again) and taking the West for himself. Well, our boys will have no British King, no sir! Not content to play Paul Revere (besides, no one knows how many lanterns would indicate an aerial attack,) Krissy the Kid and Dr. Lambert infiltrated the facilities of the Sons and destroyed the Device and the Compound all in one fell swoop, taking out the villainous Cowell as an additional favor to all Americans._

_    The tale is not without its share of woe. History is often made on the backs of its unsung heroes, and it’s my great sadness to report that Dr. Scott McIntrye, Dr. Lamberts protégé and assistant, died while making the final adjustments to the bomb that enabled their escape. I ask you all to honor his death and remember his sacrifice while you justly celebrate the triumph of Arkansas and Dr. Lambert._

_    Since his return to his laboratory, the doctor has been hard at work, insisting that his latest discovery will revolutionize the world. He plans to unveil this project to the President and members of Congress in a special ceremony later this month._

_ Yours truly has been invited as a special guest, so be on the lookout, as always for the next Scoop from _

_The Snoop._


	13. Epilogue (On A Midsummer Night)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's An Epilogue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by Bamberrific, Cover art by KateKat1010

 

**The Epilogue**

“You told me this was some sort of scientific presentation. You didn’t say nothing about no-“ Kris fiddled with his wardrobe, trying to loosen his collar.

“Shh!” Adam hushed Kris, straightening his ascot. “Kris, I’m going to have to retie this, you made a mess of it.” Adam pulled out the knot and hastily redid it.

“I’m not wearing the hat. I look ridiculous.” Kris protested as Adam dropped the top hat on his head.

Adam stepped back to survey the effect. It was a formal occasion, so Kris was clad in head to toe black and white, with only a hint of color on his ascot, a small burst of deep blue on a black field.

“I think you look striking.” Adam said, adjusting his own cufflinks. His own outfit was a little more eccentric but still as formal. His coat was a plain black, but made of a satin blend so it gave off a little shimmer. The pants where black, hatched with dark blue to match his waistcoat and ascot.

“I look like a brownie.” Kris complained, holding the hat in front of him disdainfully.

“Kristopher Neil Allen. You are accepting an award from the President of the United States of America. You are going to wear a top hat. You are going to carry a cane. You’re also going to wear this.” Adam pulled out a small pasteboard box, tied with a ribbon, from his pocket and handed it to Kris.

“What’s this?” Kris asked, looking suspicious.

“Just open it.” Adam said, biting his lip a little. In truth, it was probably more Adam’s style, but he had wanted Kris to have something that reminded him of Adam. Kris opened the box and pulled out the ring Adam had placed there an hour prior. It was simple, brushed silver with a vein of deep cerulean running through the center.

“It’s…” Kris said, at a loss for words.

“We exchanged promises, sort of-” Adam explained. “-on the Zeppelin, but I wanted to have something to make it a little more official. Even if it’s not a church wedding-“

“It’s perfect” Kris cut him off. “You’re perfect. Where’s yours? Should I get you one?” Kris said, looking terrified at the prospect of having to pick out something Adam would wear every day.

“I took the liberty of having a matching set made.” Adam laughed, dropping a second ring into Kris’s hand. “If you would do me the honor.” Adam held out his left hand and Kris placed the ring on his finger. Adam repeated the gesture, murmuring “As long as we both shall live.”

“You may now kiss the, uh, Kris.” Kris said, laughing into Adam’s mouth.

“You guys almost ready?” Allison called through the door. “I don’t think it’s polite to keep the President waiting.” Adam chuckled, brushing Kris’s lips one last time before tossing him a cane and pulling on his own overcoat.

“Your coach awaits, Mr. Allen.” Adam said, affecting a posh east coast accent.

“Thank you kindly, Doctor.” Kris replied, tilting the brim of his top hat with his left hand, so that his ring caught Adam’s eye.

Adam couldn’t resist. He took Kris’s hand in his and kissed his knuckles, feeling very much like a besotted husband on his honeymoon.

***

    The Presidential ceremony was brief, but Adam was thankful it was over. It was nice, of course, to be in the center of attention for awhile; he couldn’t pretend he didn’t enjoy being the toast of the town. Kris, however, looked slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it was just the outfit, maybe he was just nervous about being in such prestigious company, but Kris looked positively relieved when they climbed into the coach in L’Enfant Plaza after a celebratory dinner with the rest of the Westport Regulars, as the papers were all calling them now. Todd had come along as well, feeling awkward in Scott’s place, but Adam had insisted. He had even offered Todd Scott’s position as his assistant, but was relieved when Todd declined the offer, wanting to stay close to home for awhile.

    The dinner had been a wonderful time, sharing stories and trading surprises. Megan announced that she and Mac were going to be parents, and Matty got down on one knee and proposed to Allison, who flushed as pink as her hair. Adam even exchanged winks with Lil, who was sitting much closer to Reverend Gokey than polite society would dictate, but really only Kris was surprised when Danny turned his head and gave Lil an after dinner peck on the lips. Apparently they had been quietly courting for a few weeks. They made an unusual pair, but as Adam had discovered himself, sometimes unusual pairs were the best sort.

“Back to the hotel?” Kris asked as they relaxed against the coach seats, sounding like he was begging more than being inquisitive. “These clothes need to come off now.”

“Ordinarily I wouldn’t try and dissuade you from divesting, Kristopher, but we have another stop.” Adam said, trying to conceal his glee.

“You’re kidding me. Did you sign us up for post-dinner drinks with some Senator or something?” Kris looked so genuinely dismayed at the prospect that Adam didn’t even have the heart to tease him. He pulled out two tickets from his vest pocket and offered them to Kristopher for a look.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream?” Kris asked, tilting his head curiously. “At Ford’s Theatre?”

“You could use a bit of culture.” Adam said, teasingly. “There’s more to life than riding across the prairie with train robbers shooting at you.” Kris looked doubtful.

“I’ve never read Shakespeare.” He confessed. “Cheated off Katy for my tests.”

“Well then you owe it to her to pay extra attention.” Adam said, biting back a grin. “Besides, we have to go, we’re meeting people.”

“Why so cryptic tonight, Adam?” Kris said, daring to lace his fingers through Adam’s as they sat close in the covered coach.

“What’s life without a little mystery?” The coach stopped and Adam got out, turning to offer Kris a hand down. “Ah! There they are!”

“Uncle Adam!” Twin shouts from twin boys echoed across the cobblestoned street and Adam laughed as Chris and Allen Jones raced towards him. He knelt so they could give him hugs, and was pleased to see Kris do the same. He had never felt entirely comfortable with the boys, reminders, perhaps of the life he could have led. Kris seemed wary of them developing too close a bond and tried to keep them at arm’s length less he lead Katy to believe that he was her knight in shining armor after all. However, since Katy had discovered the truth about he and Kristopher’s relationship, Adam was pleased to see Kris open up towards the lads that had been unwittingly named for him.

“What are you doing here?” Kris asked Chris, ruffling his blond hair.

“Adam’s taking us to watch Mama. You wanna come?”

“Mama?” Kris asked, looking towards Adam in confusion. Adam laughed and pointed out the marquee, which bore the name “Katy O’Connell” in Bluefire block letter lights.

“You’re kidding!” Kris said, throwing his head back in disbelief. “You…she lives here now? You sent her here? To be an actress?”

“I told her to live her dream, and that she didn’t need a man to make her happy. She’s got two good ones right here. I called in a favor and got her an audition.” Adam admitted. “But she got the part on her own merit. I hear she’s quite the ingénue.”

“Then by all means, lead on.” Kris said, allowing the boys to tug him into the theatre by both hands.

The performance was riveting. Katy played Titania the Fairy Queen, majestic and spellbinding in her green dress and blue makeup.

“If you’re still trying to convince me to leave you for her, I might take you up on it.” Kris murmured to Adam in their box , nipping his ear so Adam would know he was only kidding.

“I don’t think so.” Adam quipped. “You seem a little too fond of Bottom if you catch my drift.” Adam said, laughing as the boys howled at their mother winding her fairy arms around Bottom with his donkey head. “She looks gorgeous, though. Happy. “

“She does.” Kris agreed. “You can tell that’s not an act. She’s more like the Katy I knew. Thank you, by the way. For tonight, and for helping her get here.”

“Shh.” Adam said, hushing him and squeezing his hand. “It’s her big scene.” Adam watched, riveted as Oberon removed the charm from her eyes and the two fairy lovers reconciled. After the curtain fell, Adam made the boys rush downstairs to present their mother with a huge bouquet of roses. They pointed up at the box where Adam and Kris were applauding, and she waved, face lighting up. Adam was sure that she blushed a little too, and was glad that he hadn’t told her Kris would be there.

They gave Katy and the boys a ride home in their hired coach, catching up as the boys fell asleep on the seat. Katy had rented out a lovely flat close to a modern school where the boys were getting a first rate education. Kris was happy to hear that the boys had inherited their mother’s smarts and not their father’s – or their namesake’s- tendency to get into trouble.

“Did you like the performance?” Katy asked Kris, hesitantly. “You were never much for Shakespeare.”

“I have a new appreciation for it.” Kris said, honestly. “You were brilliant, and I loved the show. It seemed like…it seemed like the point was that sometimes love surprises you in the form it takes.”

Katy flushed, and Adam had to suppress a laugh.

“I am not sure if that’s what the bard intended, Kris, but it works for me.” Adam said, taking Kris’s hand. Katy saw the gesture, and her eyes went wide.

“You..oh my goodness let me see!” She reached across Adam’s lap and picked up Kris’s left hand, cooing over his ring.

“It’s not official, obviously.” Adam said, chuckling at her response.

“Of course it is.” Katy insisted. “It’s as official as it needs to be. My marriage wasn’t official either. Doesn’t make it any less a part of my life.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Katy.” Kris said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“I think I’m going to be alright. You don’t have to worry yourself over me anymore, Kristopher Allen. But I’d like it if you dropped by when you’re in the neighborhood. Both of you.”

“Same.” Kris laughed. “Though I think we’ll have to make a point of it. We don’t live close enough to leave it to chance.”

“Actually, Kris, I’ll be making lots of trips to the Capitol.” Adam said. “And of course I’ll need my bodyguard. Where would I be without my trusty sidekick?”

Katy laughed as the carriage halted, and Adam and Kris carried the boys inside for her. She kissed them both fondly before they set out for their Inn.

“I really do think she’s going to be alright.” Kris said, leaning against Adam’s arm for the short ride.

“She’s a strong woman. I think she’ll be even better than alright. In fact, I think all of them will be alright.” Adam said, thinking fondly over their friends. “Everyone we saw tonight. Even Todd. I feel like this whole experience changed everyone for the better.”

“Well, gee, you say it like that and now I think maybe we should have thanked Simon instead of shooting him.” Kris said sarcastically, and Adam poked him in the side.

“You know what I mean.” Adam kissed the top of Kris’s head, relishing the thrill of being able to demonstrate affection for Kris just barely out of the public view. Though he and Kris were so beloved by the public right now, Adam probably could have kissed Kris on the steps of the Capitol and people would have still cheered for them. _Maybe I should have_, he thought idly. _It would be a shame to let all this political capital go to waste._ For tonight, though, he was more than happy to kiss his Kristopher in private and as many times as possible.

***

“Nice of you to see us off.” Kris shook Anoop’s hand as the rest of the Westport Regulars filed aboard The Susan. “You sure you don’t want a ride back?”

“Nah, Arkansas. I’ve got to stay in the city a while longer. I’ve got an interview with a publisher about my book – a real publisher this time, not my crappy little press in North Carolina. I need to expand it, of course, to tell the full story.” Anoop added, a bit nervously, looking from Adam to Kris as if waiting for something.

  
"So I take it that I can count on two exclusive interviews now that this is all said and done." Anoop said, lighting up a smoke. "In return for my priceless aid and information. Besides, I think the public has a right to know all the details. This is history, you know. History in the making. This is one of those moments that people in the future will point back to and say "Because of these men, the world changed for the better. Your story needs to be-"

     Kris threw back his head and laughed, giddy from the heights that Anoop's words had delivered him to. "Of course, Snoop. Anything we can do to help you out with your book. I hope you sell a million copies."

Adam's gaze remained level, however, when Anoop turned to him.

"You can have my interview, Snoop. As long as you promise to tell the whole truth."

"Oh I will. I won't - you know - I'm sorry if my past embellishments caused you any trouble."

"I just want to make sure you don't leave anything out." Adam said, reaching for Kris's hand. Kris took hold of it, feeling a slow flush spread over his face as Anoop's eyebrows went up. "Especially not this."

     Adam lifted his free hand and turned Kris's face towards his own. Bending low, he matched his mouth to Kris's and kissed him; softly at first. Relief flooded through Kris; it was over, at last, and nothing in the world could come between them now. Not a secessionist group, not the changing tide of public opinion. History would know the truth: All people are capable of greatness and deserving of love. He laughed into Adam's mouth as he heard Anoop ferociously scribbling on his notebook, no doubt searching for words to describe their kiss, and hoped that this moment would change the world just as much as Adam's inventions.

     After all, it was love, and love is the greatest thing that’s ever happened in the world.


End file.
